When Dark Meets Light
by Symbotica
Summary: When a pair of Vampires end up in the Feudal Era...anything goes. SessOC...Mary Sue... R&R! Updated!
1. Prologue

When Dark Meets Light

Prologue

**Year 2008**

"Mi lady, mi lady!" A girl yelled. She looked to be no older than eight, even with the black dress she wore. Although anyone who knew her knew that she was just over two hundred. She was searching for her master, through what seemed to be an endless castle. The full moon shone into many of the rooms, and with the shadows it looked like it was even more decrepit than during the day. '_Why did master come here to recuperate?'_ The girl asked herself after a loud sneeze.

The once beautiful tapestries were dull, worn and nearly indistinguishable. The library, which was locked, held fragile parchments and books that told the history of the castle. No one alive knew of the history, and no one dared enough to ruin the ancient scrolls to find out.

The castle had once been magnificent, but many of the turrets and rooms that had been abandoned long ago fell into rubble. There were rumors that the castle had once been a great fortress, where the supreme dog demons of the day resided...but that was just rumor.

"I found a herd of animals... mi lady! Where are yo-?" The small child was grabbed from behind and roughly pushed against the stone wall. "I told you to be quiet, didn't I? Jeez...after knowing me this long you should know to listen to me." A woman with long black hair and fiery red eyes whispered from the darkness. "Sorry..." the girl pouted and the woman let her go. "What kind of animals?" The woman nearly spit in disgust. "Deer, a whole bunch..." She replied and knew that her master would not be happy.

"Where?" The woman asked with the same amount of venom. When she heard no reply she grabbed the girl again. "Where...?" She hissed. "I'm sorry that I couldn't find any humans for you...The deer are close enough for you to leave, and slowly build up your strength again." The older woman set the girl down gently. "I know, Yuri...you did well. Animals will have to do. Where are they?" The little girl pointed in the general direction. "Lady Arashi...before you go...why are we here? I mean at this castle?" Yuri asked in a small voice.

The woman finally stepped out of the shadows. She was well over four hundred years old, but looked not a day over twenty-one. Her face was pale and it starkly contrasted with her pitch black hair that framed her face. Her crimson irises seemed to glow red in the moonlight, giving her an unearthly look. She wore a black silk shirt with wide theatrical sleeves, and blood red boot-cut pants that clung to her curves with black boots that had a mild heel. To top it off she had a long red coat that seemed to have its own mind and floated around her form.

"This castle is ancient, and no one comes here...It is dark and will allow me to recover quickly. I can already feel the aura of this place giving me strength." She replied in a soft dark voice. Her body screamed that it needed rest, but she was too stubborn, and decided to go find the animals.

"Lady Ara-..." Yuri was cut off by a wave of her masters hand. "No more questions, Yuri...I need dinner... You will stay here, explore the castle if you want. I will be back shortly." With that Arashi disappeared.

"Explore the castle...? Why not?" Yuri decided and left to explore.

**534 Years earlier...**

"InuYasha...can we please rest...? Weve been walking all day!" Kagome asked grumpily although she knew the answer already. "Kagome stop whining!" Came the disgruntled reply of the Hanyou. "InuYasha...don't make me say it!" Her voice raising higher and higher with anger. "Feh..." was all that came as an answer. "I agree with Kagome, InuYasha...we need to rest. It is hard on humans to go this long..." The monk Miroku said trying to save his friend from his fate. "Keh..." "InuYasha...SIT!" Kagome yelled. Miroku cringed and the sound of InuYasha meeting his friend the ground echoed through the valley.

"Then it's settled..." Sango said in exhaustion. They began setting up and soon a fire was blazing and fish were being roasted. InuYasha disappeared to the trees to sulk. Although everyone knew he was close enough to the group to prevent anything bad from happening.

**Fifty Miles to the West...**

"Lord Sesshoumaru! When will we be back at the castle?" The young girl Rin asked. "Stop with your infernal questions girl! You will upset the lord!" Jaken said with an annoying screech. "I was only curious, master Jaken..." She said and continued to skip after her lord. Meanwhile Lord Sesshoumaru ignored the petty argument between his two wards. He was always in a state of calm contemplation. Except for, of course, where his undeserving half brother was concerned.

His thoughts turned against him...again, and focused on the black seed of his family...InuYasha. '_Once again, he has escaped death...and all because of that girl...that miko of his.'_ He nearly growled in frustration.

Before long his family's castle loomed in the distance. It seemed as though it glowed in the warm sun. It was most assuredly the beacon of his lands and had once been filled with his people. The great dog demons, were the most powerful in all the world. They had reigned supreme. _'I am the only one left...'_ he mused. Suddenly the face of his half brother came to the fore-front of his mind and he nearly shuddered. It seemed to taunt him, saying... '_No...what about InuYasha.'_ This time he audibly growled.

When Rin heard her lord growl, she had an idea of who he was thinking of...his brother, InuYasha. She reached into her pocket and withdrew a rock. She had picked it up a long time ago, because it was in the shape of a dog. She had never seen Lord Sesshoumaru turn into his true form, but had heard from Jaken that he was magnificent. When she had seen the rock, she immediately thought of Lord Sesshoumaru, but was unable to find a chance to give it to him.

Sesshoumaru felt indecision in his young ward, and turned to her. He saw that her face was scrunched in deep thought. She had something in her hand, but he could not see it. Her knuckles were almost turning white around the object because she was holding it so tight. He stopped suddenly and felt Jaken run into the back of his legs. "I'm sorry mi Lord..." Jaken immediately began groveling, and apologizing profusely. Sesshoumaru ignored it and looked at Rin.

Rin noticed that her lord was looking at her, and she snapped back to her senses. She saw through the look of sheer annoyance on his face and grinned widely. Lord Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes. "Here! I've been meaning to give this to you..." she held out her hand. He saw the rock, and very slowly took it from her hands. If it was possible, she grinned even wider and took off towards the castle. "Follow her, Jaken..." He commanded. And Jaken was soon scurrying off to find Rin.

He looked at the rock in his hands. He knew what it was supposed to represent. It only seemed to increase his frustration. He was about to toss it into the nearby woods, but hesitated. He looked to it once again, and tucked it into his obi. He slowly made his way back to his castle...to his heritage.

To Be Continued...

**A/N:** This is my second InuYasha story, and hopefully this one will do better... :cough, cough: Anyway...this is going to be a Sesshoumaru/ OC (Arashi) story. I know it's hard to judge right now, but please Read and Review. Tell me if I should continue ahead, or stop or whatever else you may be thinking...


	2. Chapter 1

**A/N Warning:** This is a Mary Sue...so you have been warned. My disclaimer for this story is on my profile page so if think it didn't exist...Thanks for your reviews...and keep them coming!

When Dark Meets Light

Chapter 1

Arashi stalked through the forest. She made no sound, and was approaching the herd of deer very quickly. She shuddered. Animals had the worst blood... It not only tasted bad, but it did not give much in the way of strength either. The deer must have sensed that death was looming nearby, because they suddenly became alert.

Arashi stopped and made no movements towards them. They stood still and tuned their ears to the silence. She narrowed her eyes, and in a matter of moments had a deer and began drinking its blood. When the animal would yield no more, she softly set it down and left. Not feeling as refreshed as she would have liked she decided to return to her safe haven and see what kind of trouble her ward was getting into.

When she arrived at the castle she stood in the middle of the foyer, closed her eyes and reached out with her mind to find Yuri through her thoughts. Suddenly an image of books and scrolls entered her mind and she found Yuri looking through them. Arashi opened her eyes and began heading in the direction of Yuri.

When she reached the library she noticed that the door was locked... Arashi smiled and simply walked through the door. The library seemed to be the only thing not touched by the ravaging hands of time. Everything was covered in a thick layer of dust, but seemed as though it was intact, "Yuri...?" She asked. "Look what I found Lady Arashi!" Yuri yelled in her excitement. "Quiet Yuri...this is the last time that I will tell you..." She whispered harshly. "Sorry again...but look what I found!" She said with the same enthusiasm, but much softer. "What is it?" Arashi asked annoyed and walked to Yuri, instantly feeling something was wrong.

"It's a scroll...and it says...

"You who read,

will receive.

This gift of time,

like those divine..."

"Isn't it pretty? There's more, but I can't make it out..." Yuri held out the scroll to her master. "You shouldn't play with those things Yuri...it could be dangerous. Can't you feel the aura coming from it?" Arashi asked and gently reached out to take the scroll from Yuri's hands. "You're a master Vampire, Lady Arashi...you wouldn't let anything happen to us." Yuri said with the utmost confidence in her master. "For someone who is two hundred years old you are very naive." Arashi narrowed her eyes at Yuri. She seemed to get the hint and nodded still holding the parchment out to her master. "Maybe you can make it out?" She asked sheepishly, Arashi growled impressively for a vampire, and reached for the scroll.

As soon as she touched it, both vampires felt something grasp them, and a bright light blinded them. It was as if the parchment itself reached out and pulled them. Arashi felt Yuri struggling. She instinctively reached out and held onto her.

Soon the sensation of being pulled died and was quickly replaced by the weightlessness of falling. Arashi stomach turned and she tried to focus her power. They were both engulfed in a protective barrier. Arashi felt the ground pushing against her and let go of the barrier. She opened her eyes, but soon found that she couldn't see anything, so she let her eyes adjust.

"I can't see! Lady Arashi!" Yuri screamed in panic. "Don't worry, just let your eyes adjust..." Came the soothing voice of her master. Yuri found that she indeed just needed to let her eyes adjust, and saw that they had landed in a field. She looked around and could find no evidence of the castle that they were just in, or anything else familiar.

Arashi closed her eyes and let her mind try and find out where they were. Nothing...she did not recognize this place, and she felt uncharacteristically afraid. When she opened her eyes she saw Yuri looking around frantically, for something. "Lady Arashi...where are we?" She asked quietly. "I do not know, Yuri. I can not recognize anything around us..." She suddenly felt fatigue overcome her and fell to her knees. "Lady Arashi...don't use your powers...you're still weak."Yuri nearly scolded.

"I'm fine, Yuri..." She breathed heavily. "We need to find shelter. Let's look for something, it is nearly dawn."

**Sesshoumarus Castle...**

He awoke in a cold sweat and sat up. Sesshoumaru couldn't remember the last time he awoke in the night like this. The great Lord Sesshoumaru had goose bumps. He shook his head and gathered his senses. He knew something had jerked him from his slumber and was soon up and dressed to find out what it was.

**With InuYasha and Co...**

"What was that?" InuYasha asked. "I don't know, but whatever it was, is powerful." Miroku who was suddenly alert replied. "Let's wake the girls...it might be Naraku..." InuYasha quickly went to Kagome's side and woke her up. Miroku doing the same to Sango, who awoke to find Miroku's hand on her butt. Promptly slapped him and sat up. "What's going on InuYasha?" Kagome asked tiredly. "Yeah...what's the rush...it's not even morning yet..." Shippo stated stretching.

"Miroku and I felt a strong aura...it nearly exploded...we think it might be Naraku..." That was all that was needed, for everyone was up and ready to go. They set out in hopes of finding whatever was out there.

**5 miles away in a cave...**

"Here comes the sun, Lady Arashi..." Yuri said somberly. She felt horribly guilty for the predicament that she and her master were in. If she would have left that library alone, none of this would have happened. "I know, Yuri..." Arashi replied simply. The first of the sun's rays were spreading over the land. "Yuri, you should sleep..." She turned to find her ward near tears.

Arashi narrowed her eyes and groped for something to say. "Don't worry, this cave will shelter us from the light..." Arashi tried to comfort the girl. "I know, but I just can't help but feel gu-..." She was interrupted when Arashi put her finger to her lips and gestured for her to lay down. "Don't..." was all she said and turned her back to Yuri. Yuri laid down and attempted to find a comfortable position on the ground but soon gave up because of the rocks. She closed her eyes and tried to sleep anyway. She distantly heard rustling and felt herself being lifted. She was set back down, but this time it was on something soft.

She cracked her eyes to see her master leaning against the cave wall and that she had taken off her coat. She looked to the ground and saw that she was laying on it. The coat wrapped itself around her form and she soon fell asleep.

When Arashi felt Yuri sleeping, she began thinking of their situation, and how to get them out of it. It seemed hopeless, and began mentally kicking herself for even being weakened in the first place. She closed her eyes and formed a barrier against the mouth of the cave. It would offer some kind of protection. Not knowing who or what was out there tormented her and she reinforced the barrier.

Her powers otherwise were useless during the day. '_Another thing about this I dont like.'_ She glanced at Yuri and found her peaceful and asleep. She took a deep breath. She was bordering on exhaustion, but couldn't rest now. '_So much for recovering my strength in that castle...I'm going to need human blood by tonight...'_ she closed her eyes in frustration. She didn't even know if there were humans in this place. She could almost imagine her father laughing at her situation now...

**Sesshoumaru...**

He had told Jaken early that morning to keep watch over Rin and not to let her wander out of the castle grounds. He also told his head of security, Kenyo, the same. It was dangerous...he could feel the darkness of the aura that had woke him that night. He felt the goose bumps return as he thought about that pulse of energy. He shook it off and reprimanded himself for seemingly going soft. '_Hn...to think that just an aura had me afraid...for even a second...and here it goes again...'_

**InuYasha and Co...**

"I can't feel anything...you?" Miroku asked Kagome and Sango who shook their heads and looked to InuYasha. "I can't smell anything either..." He growled. "Whatever it was must be gone..." Sango said quite disheartened. "Forget about that aura, we have bigger problems now..." InuYasha said matter of factly as Sesshoumaru came forth from the forest.

To Be Continued...

**A/N:** So there's the first chapter...if you have questions or comments please R&R, and I will write you back!


	3. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Thanks to Shorty Bay-B for your support... here's chapter 2!

When Dark Meets Light

Chapter 2

"Sesshoumaru! What are you doing here?" InuYasha half yelled. "Still as obnoxiously belligerent as ever, I see..." Sesshoumaru stated in his eerily calm voice. InuYasha only stared at him. "I didn't come here for you, little brother..." He added. "So you felt it too?" Miroku blurted out without thinking. Sesshoumaru didn't even offer a passing glance at the monk, and chose to stay silent. "Oh..." Miroku said.

"Whatever was here, isn't anymore..." InuYasha told his brother, as though that would make him suddenly disappear. "You're wrong..." Came the soft voice of Sesshoumaru. "Whatever was here, is still close by...only it is hiding..." he added seeing the confused look InuYasha was giving him. "Where is it then...?" InuYasha asked with anticipation of what could have such a powerful aura. "If I knew, do you honestly think I would waste my time here with you...?" It wasn't so much a question, as it was a plain, simple statement.

"So we wait...It has to come out sometime, right?" Sango asked. "You're right Sango...we've looked for this thing all day...so let's set up camp and wait." Kagome agreed and began setting up a small area for their things. With Sango helping they got a small fire going. InuYasha stayed suspiciously close to Kagome, as if Sesshoumaru would attempt anything. When they had finished and were all gathered around the fire, it was dusk. Sesshoumaru had left a while ago, but everyone suspected that he was nearby.

"What do you think this thing is, InuYasha...and when do you think it will come out of hiding...?" Kagome asked, nervous. "I honestly don't know..." he said truthfully lowering his head. "I don't think this thing is Naraku." Shippo added with a shiver. '_Even Sesshoumaru is worried...this can't be good...'_ InuYasha said in his head. "You're right Shippo." Miroku added. "I think you four should try and get some sleep...I'll wake you if anything happens..." InuYasha said quietly. They all agreed and one by one fell asleep.

**In the Cave...**

"Yuri, wake up..." Arashi spoke quietly. Yuri stirred and slowly opened her eyes to find Arashi hovering over her. "Is it night already?" Yuri asked suddenly alert. Arashi nodded slowly. "Lady Arashi, you're so pale. Are you alright?" Yuri got up and brought the coat to her master. "I am just fatigued, besides, I'm always pale... I need human blood, but I wanted to make sure you were awake..." Arashi put on her coat and it once again flowed around her.

"Did you get any rest at all?" Yuri asked her worried. She had never seen her master this worn thin. "No...but that is not important now..." Arashi closed her eyes and carefully felt the surrounding area with her mind. She felt the strangest auras surrounding their cave. There were three humans, but the other three, she had never felt anything like them before. "It seems as though the nearest humans have protection...I will not attempt to get them." Arashi opened her eyes and met the surprised blue ones of Yuri. "Then where are we to go...I know that once you have human blood you'll be almost back to full strength." Yuri didn't like the sound of her masters' voice, and she knew that Arashi was too weak to put up much of a fight to get the blood. "There is a village...five miles from here...we will go there..." She slowly removed the barrier that she had erected and stepped out of the cave.

"So that's why you're so tired, Mi Lady, you shouldn't have done a barrier." Yuri knew that what she had said was wrong, but felt that her master was stretching herself too thin. "Lets go, Yuri." Arashi said not acknowledging her, then grasped Yuri and they disappeared to the nearby village.

**InuYasha and Co...**

_'That's it! That aura, and that scent!'_ InuYasha's mind suddenly started racing. "Get up...let's go! Come on guys!" In a few seconds everyone was up and ready to go. Kagome got onto InuYasha's back with Shippo and Miroku and Sango got onto Kirara's back. "Whatever it is, is moving, and fast!" InuYasha said. Suddenly Sesshoumaru appeared beside him and took off faster than InuYasha in the same direction. "Damn you! InuYasha yelled after him.

**In The Village...**

"Yuri, I do not want to cause a scene here...we need to be fast." Yuri nodded and closed her eyes. Suddenly a man and a boy came out of the group of huts. Their eyes were closed and they appeared to be sleep walking. "Good let's take them out a ways." Arashi started for the forest, followed closely by Yuri, who was controlling the humans. When they were far enough away Arashi stopped. "Here, Lady Arashi...I got the strongest male I could find for you..." Yuri said shyly. "Thank you..." She almost smiled as she saw the humans beginning to wake up.

The men were soon awake and wondering what they were doing in the middle of the woods. Out of nowhere Arashi walked up to them and they froze. She bent the man's neck and her fangs grew a small amount. She began drinking. When she was done, not a drop was spilled, and she felt more refreshed than she had in a long time. She turned to find Yuri finishing with the boy.

"What are you?" Arashi gasped, spun and came face to face with a man. He had long white hair and a face that could have been chiseled from the purest marble. The markings on his face were unlike anything she had seen in her long life. She raised a graceful eyebrow and dropped the human who landed with a loud thud, dead on the ground. His aura felt familiar. It was one of the unrecognizable ones she had encountered earlier. Suddenly rustling was heard in the bushes and out came the rest of the people she had felt. "I will only ask once more...What are you?" The first man said. Yuri went to her masters' side and half hid behind her. She had nowhere near the strength that her master did, and therefore stayed away from the fights.

"I could ask all of you the same thing..." Arashi replied coldly. She turned her attention to the group. "Are they...?" One of the girls began. "Dead? Yes girl, they are." She glanced back at the first man. "Yuri, go hide...and put up a barrier I will be there shortly" Arashi whispered to her ward. Who obeyed without second thought. "So what are you, and what are you doing here?" Someone from the group asked harshly.

"You are a rude ones, aren't you? Arashi turned her attention to the one in red. "InuYasha is it?" Arashi spoke quietly. The humans' blood had done her good. Her powers were steadily returning to normal. "How...how do you know my name?" InuYasha yelled. Arashi brought a finger to her temple and tapped a few times. "You...you can read minds?" Miroku asked, shocked.

"That's enough..." Sesshoumarus voice boomed. "And you are Sesshoumaru..." That was it. Sesshoumaru snapped, no one entered his mind but him, and this woman was going to pay dearly for it. He pulled Tokijin from its' sheath. Arashi simply stood there a smirk appearing on her face.

Kagome and the others gasped. They had never seen anything quite like it and stood in awe of this woman. '_Anyone who could stand up to Sesshoumaru must be powerful...'_ Kagome thought to herself. "I do not wish to fight you...I merely came for the humans...my business is done here." She made to turn and walk away when Sesshoumaru began his charge. He was inches away and suddenly came to a screeching halt.

_'Whats going on?'_ InuYasha thought. '_Who is this woman?'_ Sesshoumaru struggled, but to no avail. Arashi slowly turned to face him and he growled in frustration. "What have you done girl?" He asked her. "I only bound you...once I leave the binding will lift..." Arashi said simply. "Besides...you should show respect to your superiors." Her eyes narrowed and suddenly she realized...

"You're a demon...aren't you... a dog demon..." Arashi said with a sudden change of mood. She walked to Sesshoumaru and looked at him closely. His amber eyes meeting her crimson ones. "And you..." She looked to InuYasha. "You are as well...well at least half..." She smirked. "Yuri... you can come out now..." She called behind her. Timidly, Yuri advanced to her master. "Mi Lady...?" She asked looking at Sesshoumaru as if he would bite her head off. "You there, thank you for not attacking me. I thought the dog demons of the past had at least some sense..." Arashi looked pointedly at Sesshoumaru, who growled.

"Who are you?" Kagome asked from behind InuYasha. "I'm sorry, but the dawn approaches. Yuri and I must take our leave, but we will find you tomorrow night, and talk then..." With that they disappeared and Sesshoumaru felt control return to his body.

To Be Continued...

**A/N:** So that was chapter 2, please R&R!


	4. Chapter 3

When Dark Meets Light

Chapter 3

"Here we are again...in the cave..." Arashi grumbled. She already missed her home and coffin. She erected another barrier. "Let's get some rest, shall we?" Yuri asked. "Go ahead...I have some thinking to do..." Arashi commented and took off her coat again, handing it to her Yuri.

Once Yuri was asleep, Arashi began deep contemplation. She had been unable to enter Sesshoumaru's mind, and only got his name from the half demon InuYasha. Arashi let herself shudder... '_Sesshoumaru is the strongest being I have encountered in a long time...I could barely contain him...'_ It had taken nearly all of her regained strength to hold him back. She wasn't all that surprised, after all he had the most powerful aura of all of them. '_I will have to be careful around him...he could very well have the strength to kill me for good...'_ She didn't like where her mind was taking her, so she chose to rest a little bit.

Unfortunately for her, she couldn't get Sesshoumaru out of her head... "This is going to be hell..." she whispered to herself.

**With Sesshoumaru and InuYasha...**

"That impudent wench..." Sesshoumaru growled. He hadn't thought that it was possible for him to hate anyone more than InuYasha, but she had proved him dead wrong. '_She presumed to order me around? I have no senses, huh?'_ He was getting more and more frustrated by the second. Of course he had tried to follow the scent, but it lead no where...again.

Sesshoumaru's frustrations were being felt by InuYasha and his group as well, in turn making them angry. "Yeah, yeah...you've said that a hundred times since this morning..." InuYasha growled. He didn't know why Sesshoumaru was still there, and he knew better than to ask, but he had never, in all his life, seen Sesshoumaru like this. Sure they had their arguments and fights, but Sesshoumaru radiated pure malice at the mere thought of this woman.

"We don't know anything about her, but she didn't attack us so maybe...we can trust her?" Shippo mused out loud, and the group agreed. "Besides anyone who can do that to..." Miroku thought it might be best if he didn't finish that statement, the way Sesshoumaru looked at him now...he could tell that given the chance he would rip the him limb from limb.

_'It wasnt enough to just subdue me...she has made it impossible for me to take out my anger on my half brother and his lowly friends...'_ Sesshoumaru scowled.

**Flashback...**

When Sesshoumaru felt control return to him, he looked to InuYasha. "She will not get the chance to meet you, or your friends..." He charged at his brother, but was unable to strike him. Something held him back. '_I can't attack...that wench...'_ And he knew that she had done it. Everyone looked on stunned as Sesshoumaru seemed to be frozen.

"What's the matter, Sesshoumaru?" InuYasha asked adding salt to an already open wound. He knew what would happen if Sesshoumaru tried to attack. He had heard the woman's voice inside his head after she left. 'Don't worry about Sesshoumaru...he will not harm you or your friends...' She had said.

Sesshoumaru backed down, he would have to bide his time...

**End Flashback...**

_'And here I am...unable to do anything because I will be subdued...'_ He was waiting for her return, and knew he might as well stay close to his brother...she had said she would return to him. He looked to the sky and couldn't help but wonder about what she had said. 'I'm sorry, but the dawn approaches. Yuri and I must take our leave, but we will find you tomorrow night, and talk then.' '_She can't come out during the day...I've never heard of such a thing...'_ He couldn't quite wrap his finger around what that meant, and was unsure, even now of what kind of creature they were dealing with.

Around the campfire everyone was trying to figure it out as well. It was dusk and they wondered when she would appear to them. "What about those men? What would she want with them?" Sango asked the group, and everyone shrugged. "Blood..." Everyone turned to Sesshoumaru. "She drank their blood..." They all gasped. "That's disgusting!" Kagome crinkled her nose in disgust.

"Why would she drink blood?" Miroku asked. Sesshoumaru again stayed quiet. He knew why, he had felt her power gain in strength after. Sango looked thoughtful and said "I don't know...maybe that's what she eats..." Kagome sighed. InuYasha tried to understand what that meant, but couldn't.

**Meanwhile...**

Yuri woke with a start. She glanced at her master, and shuddered at the aura that she was expelling. Her powers were dark and crashing into Yuri like waves to a rock. "Lady Arashi? Are...are you alright?" She asked quietly not moving. She hadn't felt that much power from her master for a long time. Arashi took a deep breath. "I'm fine, Yuri. I must eat and then well meet those demons..." she trailed off exiting the cave.

"Lady Arashi! Your coat!" Yuri called. Arashi stuck out her hand without facing Yuri the coat flew into her hands and she pulled it on. Yuri followed at a safe distance...intuition told her that her master was in distress, and that she should keep her distance...or be forced to. They didn't speak but came upon the same village as the night before. This time however Arashi was in the mood for a hunt and told Yuri to make a sport out of it.

Yuri closed her eyes and shuddered...she didn't like it when her master was in this kind of mood. She found a man with her mind and took control. She woke the man up and made him take up a weapon...then exit the hut. He was wide awake and didn't know what was going on. He looked around and spotted Arashi and Yuri. As soon as he did... he took off for the woods. "Yuri...stay here..." Arashi said calmly and started after the human.

**Back at the camp...**

"It's her...she came out of hiding..." InuYasha told the others. Sesshoumaru nodded in agreement and got up to leave. "Where do you think you're going?" InuYasha asked. "I have business to attend to with that woman..." He stated coldly. "I'm going with you..." InuYasha said and looked to his group. "Stay here...I'll bring her back with me..." There were protests and declarations of strength, but he waved them off and walked to his brother and they took off together.

"Her aura changed..." InuYasha stating the obvious to his elder brother. "Yes, she has grown even stronger..." Sesshoumaru cursed inwardly and continued sprinting. He came to a sudden halt, and InuYasha did as well. A human man ran past them screaming for his life. '_It must be her...'_ InuYasha mused.

Shortly after the man disappeared the woman came to a stop in front of the brothers. "Hello again..." She looked at them. She had changed...mainly her eyes. They were sharper and had gone from a crimson to blood red. "What's going on?" InuYasha asked her. Then immediately regretted it, because the woman smirked which drained all blood from his face.

Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes. "You are hunting him..." He said in the most icy tone he could. He found that the thought of her hunting the human was both intriguing and demeaning. Arashi continued to smirk. "Why?" InuYasha yelled getting his voice back and looking at the woman. "I wanted to have a little fun with him first...human blood mixed with adrenaline is always a treat..." Arashi said as if it was an everyday occurrence.

"I can't let you do that!" InuYasha screamed. This woman was, if possible, more cold than his brother. "InuYasha...I'm afraid you don't have a choice in the matter..." She said glancing back in the direction the human had fled. InuYasha pulled Tetsusaiga from it's sheath and prepared to fight her. "You can't go around killing innocent people like that!" He screamed at her.

"And you're going to be the one to stop me?" She hissed. "What about you?" She looked at Sesshoumaru. He shrugged, turned and began to retrace his steps back to the camp. It did not concern him... in fact the sooner she was done with the human...the sooner he would destroy her. "Come brother..." He ordered not bothering to turn around.

"But Sesshoumaru!" InuYasha turned towards his brother. "You're just gonna let her kill that guy?" InuYasha cried. He turned to face Arashi but she had disappeared. "Damn...she went anyway." He grit his teeth. He would follow his brother, but she would have some explaining to do when they met again.

To Be Continued...

**A/N:** There's the third chapter...hope it's good, Arashi's past will be somewhat divulged in the next chapter...so hang in there!


	5. Chapter 4

When Dark Meets Light

Chapter 4

Arashi finished drinking the man's blood. After her encounter with InuYasha and Sesshoumaru, the fun of the chase wore off and she ended his misery quickly. She growled in annoyance. She teleported herself to Yuri and told her to follow. Yuri thought that after her master had her fun she would lighten up a bit, but if anything she seemed worse. "Mi Lady...are you alright?" Yuri asked jogging up beside Arashi. "Yes..." Arashi did not want to explain what had happened.

"Are we going to meet InuYasha now?" Yuri questioned quietly with her head down. "Yes...I suppose I have some explaining to do..." And with that Yuri knew something had happened, and could guess that whatever it was involved InuYasha and his group.

**With Sesshoumaru and InuYasha...**

"Why did you let her go...?" InuYasha was still upset. "I do not have to answer to you..." Sesshoumaru replied calmly. The woman intrigued him more than he deemed necessary, and the thought of her hunting a human brought a primal need to his senses. He mentally shook his head and cleared himself of the line of thought.

They soon entered the camp, and were met with a barrage of questions. InuYasha put up his hands. The group quieted down, but still expected some answers... "I think we should leave..." InuYasha stated plainly. "But why? What happened InuYasha?" Kagome asked concerned. InuYasha looked down. "She's..." He couldn't tell them. She was a monster, someone who killed for sport.

"She's on her way..." Sesshoumaru interrupted, and sure enough out came Arashi and Yuri. "You! I'll kill you!" InuYasha yelled. He ran at Arashi and began to attack with ferocity. Arashi simply ducked and dodged all of his attacks. InuYasha noticed that he wasn't getting anywhere and pulled Tetsusaiga. "Meet my Wind Scar!" He yelled the command and yellow bursts of power emanated from the fang.

Arashi's eyes widened and the attack over-came her. "Lady Arashi!" Yuri yelled and tried to rush forward, but was held back by Sango. "InuYasha...what happened, why did you attack her!" Kagome asked trying to understand. The dust from the Wind Scar began to ebb and they saw Arashi hunched on her knees with two swords planted into the ground.

"Impressive...for a half demon that is..." Arashi drew a deep breath and got to her feet, pulling the blades out of the ground with her. InuYasha's eyes widened and he couldn't believe that she had survived...let alone unscathed. "I'm sorry, InuYasha...but you can't kill me..." Arashi spoke with confidence. "Lady Arashi! You're alright!" Yuri managed to escape Sango's hold and bolted over to her master and gave her a tight squeeze.

"I'm fine Yuri..." Arashi looked to her ward, and then back to InuYasha. "If you would stand down...I will answer your questions..." InuYasha sheathed Tetsusaiga, and motioned for all of them to sit down.

When they were all settled, Sesshoumaru was the only one left standing. "I will answer your questions to the best of my ability...because I admit...I don't have some of them myself..." Arashi explained to them. Yuri was sitting right beside her master, and kept a wary eye on the strangers.

"Who are you, what are you and where did you come from...?" InuYasha asked first, still angry. Everyone listened intently. "The first and second are easy...the third not as simple. I am Arashi, and this is Yuri. I was the daughter of a powerful Lord. And I was also his killer." Everyone gasped. "You killed your own father?" Kagome asked with her hand over her mouth in shock. "Yes...you see, I am what is known as a Vampire and my father was ruthless in his pursuit of power. He failed to notice that our people were suffering and being hunted by the very creatures that we fed upon." "But Vampires aren't real...they're only characters in cheap horror movies..." Kagome interrupted. "I assure you...vampires are as real as you or InuYasha there. We have been in hiding since humans began to roam the earth."

"So what's a vampire?" Sango asked politely. "We are creatures of the night. We drink blood to sustain ourselves and cannot walk in daylight. The very first vampire was a human who sold his soul. He asked the god of the underworld for power, and was granted it, but at a price. He was condemned to walk in darkness for all eternity." Miroku looked thoughtful. "Why did you kill your father?" Arashi's red eyes dimmed a bit.

"Like I said before, he was unconcerned about the welfare of his people. He went to many human homes and drank peoples blood at random. He didn't even do it because he was hungry." InuYasha looked suddenly angry. "How are you any different from him then?" He said coldly. Arashi met his gaze with a calm one of her own. "I have never and will never kill anything for their blood when I am not in need of such." She replied coldly.

"In fact that's why young Yuri is here. My father went on a killing spree, and killed almost all the people in her town. He had taken most of her blood, but failed to take all of it. It is illegal in our society, to transform a child into one of us. But in an act of defiance against my father, I took Yuri. I could not watch her die, so I gave her some of my blood, and she has been a vampire ever since." She finished.

"Those swords...where did they come from?" Kagome asked. Arashi smiled gently. Her eyes seemed to glow again. She held out the blades. "This is Jackal and Rebel...they are not ordinary swords...they are a direct reflection of my power. My father had them crafted for me long ago. They are full of dark magic and cannot be used by anyone else, unless of course you want to die a painful death." She chuckled and put the swords in a hidden sheath on her back.

"How did you get here?" Sesshoumaru spoke up for the first time. He was steadily becoming more and more interested in her. He couldn't help the fact that she had him curious...even if it was too much for his liking. Arashi looked at up him and met his gaze. "That is the question...now isn't it...?" Arashi replied sarcastically raising an eyebrow. Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes. '_Infuriating'_ He thought to himself. "To be honest...I don't know why I am here. You see, when I killed my father, I had unintentionally started a war between vampires. The ones who were loyal to my father, and the ones like Yuri and I...who just want to live. I had fought until I was near exhaustion. The loyalists were winning, and I didn't have enough strength to continue fighting. We stole away inside an ancient castle, trying to recuperate." She finished with a shudder. She had remembered the taste of the deer.

"Yuri was exploring when I found her in a library. She had found a scroll that had a poem on it...we touched it and suddenly found ourselves in a field. We didn't know where or when we were, but had to hide in a cave to get away from the sun. That's when we met you...and you know the rest." Arashi took a deep breath. "When I saw that some of you were dog demons, I knew we had traveled back in time quite a bit, since in our time they are said to be extinct. No one has seen or heard of one for quite some time." She finished.

"That's quite the story, Arashi...so you don't know how to get back?" Kagome asked. "No...but now that I have answered your questions...may I ask who you people are?" Arashi smiled looking to the group. "Alright, seems fair... I'm InuYasha, as you know and this is Kagome, Shippo, Miroku and Sango...oh and the cat is Kirara." InuYasha pointed to each person respectively. "I assume that you dont travel with him?" Arashi asked pointing her head in Sesshoumaru's direction.

"I have a name...and no I do not travel with half breed filth..." Sesshoumaru replied venomously. Arashi raised her eyebrow. "You're upset with me..." she would have smirked had she not been slightly afraid of the aura he was releasing. "You won't be able to trick me again..." He said quietly, as if trying to convince himself. "I didn't trick you..." Arashi replied coldly. "I just held you back...I said before that I did not want to fight you...so I didn't, but if it's a fight you want, then I'll gladly give it to you..." Arashi stood up to her full height, which was still a head shorter that him.

"Arashi, don't...Sesshoumaru will win!" Shippo cried out and latched himself onto Arashi. "I'm afraid that Sesshoumaru doesn't know who he's dealing with...but unfortunately that fight will have to wait...we have company coming..." Arashi squinted towards the trees. "That's Naraku's scent!" InuYasha yelled getting into a battle stance. Everyone scrambled and got ready. Arashi couldn't help but wonder what the rush was. The aura that was heading their way, was weak and could easily be dealt with.

"We will continue this later..." Arashi whispered to Sesshoumaru who nodded slightly. "Naraku show yourself!" InuYasha cried out.

"Well, well, well Sesshoumaru. What are you doing with InuYasha?" A man's voice said from under a baboon pelt. Sesshoumaru just narrowed his eyes. "We went looking for you at your castle, but could only find this..." He moved a tentacle and Rin was revealed. She seemed to be unconscious, but still alive. "You've tried this before Naraku...you know what happened last time..." Sesshoumaru spoke slowly, taking out his Tokijin.

"I don't think so..." Naraku said and suddenly Yuri's eyes went wide and unfocused. Yuri slowly approached Naraku and closed her eyes. She erected a barrier around them. "Yuri...what are you doing?" Arashi questioned her ward, with no response. "Well I should be going, seeing as I've gotten what I've come for. Sesshoumaru, you'll have to find me to get to Rin." Naraku said under his mask. "Where are you taking Yuri?" Arashi asked Naraku, with a glare. She looked like a snake about to strike. "This girl's mind was easier than I thought to overtake...but you'll have to find me first..." And he disappeared. Arashi rushed to where he had been and closed her eyes, seeking Yuri with her mind, but was blocked.

She opened her eyes and turned around to look at the group...She looked ready to kill.

To Be Continued...

**A/N:** Thanks for the reviews and keep them coming...I didn't really like this chapter...but I thought it was necessary for character...sorry for rambling...please R&R!!


	6. Chapter 5

When Dark Meets Light

Chapter 5

Arashi's eyes glowed crimson and narrowed into deadly slits. Her aura was completely overwhelming and dark. Sesshoumaru knew for sure that this was the woman that had woke him in the dead of night. He felt his skin ripple and shuddered. "Who was that?" She spoke slowly, full of poison. Nobody wanted to answer her, for fear of being ripped to shreds. "Naraku..." Sesshoumaru stated simply. He was aware that the rest were too frightened to do anything, even his half breed brother.

Kagome stood behind InuYasha seeking refuge from the vampire's aura. Miroku was shivering under Arashi's power trying to shield Sango from it. Arashi oozed what could only be explained as death. Someone would die soon, and the group hoped that she would wait and take Naraku. They did not want to be at the receiving end of her wrath.

Arashi smiled wickedly and she began to tremble violently. It seemed as though something was trying to take hold of her. "No..." Arashi whispered through clenched teeth. "Not now..." she dropped to her knees. Her hands coming up around her head. The group watched in unabashed horror as Arashi was trying to fight something off within her body.

Her breathing became ragged and she squeezed her fists into her hair. She rocked back and forth like a crazy person. Her eyes were clenched tight as she fought. "Not now...not them..." She repeated, but this time it was with a stronger voice. Her rocking began to slow as her hands loosened their grasp of her hair. She slowly opened her eyes, this time they were the normal blood red. She took a deep breath and slowly got to her feet. Looking to the group she saw the fear, and shook herself. "Sorry...about that..." She said quietly. She didn't want to explain to them what had happened. She soon got an excuse as the light of morning slowly began to take over the night.

"I have to go..." She pointed towards the light, and began to turn to head for the cave. "Don't worry...we'll help you find her..." Kagome was the first to get over the shock and find her voice. She felt like she needed to comfort Arashi, but didn't know how. Arashi stopped and looked at her. "We can look during the day, and then meet up with you at night..." Kagome offered.

"Thank you..." Arashi said quietly, and disappeared. "Well help you too!" Kagome turned her attention to Sesshoumaru. "Kagome...I don't think that Sesshoumaru wants our help." InuYasha told her trying to get her to be quiet. "I don't need your help, human..." Sesshoumaru said quietly, not being able to take his eyes off of the direction Arashi headed in. He brought his attention to InuYasha. "When I have retrieved Rin and dealt with that creature, I will come after you as well, little brother." He spat the last part, turned and walked out of the camp area.

InuYasha snorted. "Like you could kill Arashi..." He called after Sesshoumaru and smirked, he knew that his brother had heard him. After that display of power, he wouldn't be surprised if she was indeed more powerful than Sesshoumaru. Sesshoumaru paused, but didn't say anything. He began again, but this time headed for the direction Arashi went. He had a good idea where she would be...

**InuYasha and Co...**

"Come on...let's try to get some sleep...well begin looking later." InuYasha said. And they all complied. InuYasha thought about Kagome's offer to help. '_We can look for Yuri, and defeat Naraku at the same time...'_ InuYasha jumped into a tree and tried to get some rest.

**Sesshoumaru...**

He walked until he came to the mouth of a cave. There was a barrier surrounding it, and nothing...not even her scent came through it. "What do you want, Demon?" He heard from inside the cave. She sounded angry and flustered. He stayed silent. "I asked you a question..." Arashi whispered harshly and quickly appeared close to the barrier.

She had been trying to rest, but the thought of Yuri not being with her kept her awake. "I don't need to answer to you, creature... Sesshoumaru said swiftly. "Well if that's how it is, then please leave...I need to get some rest..." She turned and walked away from him. Sesshoumaru couldn't help but wonder why she had been so upset. '_Hn...what's wrong with me? Like it matters, I don't care...'_ He tried telling himself. "You can't find Naraku...no one can." Sesshoumaru told her. "Don't be so sure, Demon...you don't know me, or what I'm capable of." Came the disembodied reply. "I could say the same about myself...but, I bid you farewell, remember, we have a fight to finish later..." And Sesshoumaru headed back through the forest.

He knew what he had said about Naraku was true, no one found him unless he wanted to be found. Sesshoumaru had tried once. '_Maybe this creature can lead me to Naraku...no one steals my property...'_ He mused and turned that thought over in his head. Reaching into his obi he found the dog shaped rock... he kept trying to tell himself that Rin was only a piece of his property, not someone who he was beginning to care about. Sesshoumaru scoffed and tucked the rock back in his obi. He would see if he could follow her. With his mind made up he decided to bring Jaken along...besides he wanted to know how the lowly creature Naraku got to Rin in the first place.

**InuYasha and Co...**

"Let's get going, if were going to find Naraku, we'll need as much time as possible." InuYasha said to his group. They had all had a refreshing nap and were eager to get on the road. "What about Lady Arashi? Shouldn't we wait for her?" Miroku asked. "No, she'll be able to find us at night...we just need to look for rumors and things during the day..." InuYasha replied. And they began their journey anew.

**Sesshoumaru...**

He had walked a mile or so away from the cave when he heard the groan of Ah-Uhn and the high-pitched screech of Jaken. "Come on Ah-Uhn...we need to find Lord Sesshoumaru...we must warn him about Naraku, even if it ends up killing me..." Jaken tried to get the two-headed dragon to understand, what he didn't know was that Sesshoumaru was right behind him watching the scene calmly.

"You were looking for me, Jaken?" Sesshoumaru's cool voice pierced through the morning air giving Jaken the scare of his life. "Mi Lord!" Jaken exclaimed and knelt before Sesshoumaru. "Mi Lord I'm sorry, but that vile creature Naraku has taken Rin!" He said squeakily, knowing that if Sesshoumaru wanted him dead, all he had to do was flick his wrist... "I am aware of that Jaken, why weren't you able to protect her?" Sesshoumaru asked icily, although thoroughly enjoying the effect he had on his servant. "She ran off mi Lord, I could not find her until it was too late..." Jaken was shaking so much that he was sure it would register as an earthquake.

"I will not punish you now, but when we return to the castle...I cannot guarantee your life will be spared..." Sesshoumaru said sitting against a tree. "Mi Lord?" Jaken was surprised to find that he was still intact, but then dreaded his eventual return to the castle. "Mi Lord why are you sitting...?" Jaken asked quietly still kneeling in front of his lord. "It does not concern you, Jaken...do not presume to ask me questions, after you failed to protect a little human girl..." Sesshoumaru spat out, causing Jaken to resume his shaking. "Ri...Right Mi Lord, of course!" Jaken screeched.

**InuYasha and Co...**

"Where can we stop, InuYasha? We are all tired and I'm sure that Sango and I would love a dip in some hot springs..." Kagome asked politely. She hoped to appeal to InuYasha's softer side. She also knew that offering to help Arashi was quickly becoming hopeless. "There's a village up ahead, we can stop there and maybe they have heard something about Naraku..." InuYasha replied quietly. He was surprised that Kagome had not complained once during the day to stop, and he felt like a slave driver. He had wanted to find Naraku so badly, but it was soon wearing even him out.

"Maybe Arashi will have a lead we can follow..." Sango said hopefully carrying Kirara in her arms. "I agree with you Sango..." Miroku added sidling up to Sango, and putting his hand on her rear. 'SLAP!' "Pervert!" Sango yelled stomping away. Miroku felt the welt on his cheek and thought it was completely worth the slap. InuYasha just rolled his eyes, while Kagome giggled happlily.

To Be Continued...

**A/N:** So there's chapter 5...I know it was kind of boring, but I promise the good stuff will arrive shortly! Thanks to Shorty Bay-B, White Alchemist Taya, Princess of the Queens and, BlackEyeCandy11412 for your reviews and keep them comin'!


	7. Chapter 6

When Dark Meets Light

Chapter 6

Sesshoumaru was resting comfortably against the tree trunk when he felt Arashi's aura come out of the cave. He discreetly sniffed the air and found her scent. "Jaken...it is time to go." He said calmly waking up Jaken who had fallen asleep in his kneeling position. He had been too frightened to get into a more comfortable sleeping arrangement.

"If I might be so bold mi Lord, where are we going?" Jaken asked stretching his legs that had gone numb from lack of movement. "You will soon find out, because she's coming this way..." Sesshoumaru said mysteriously. Jaken thought it better to stay quiet.

"Well, well, well...what do we have here?" Arashi's amused voice came from the woods. "Sesshoumaru and his pet...well, whatever you are..." She continued, finally emerging from the forest. "Hey! You can't speak to Lord Sesshoumaru that way!" Jaken yelled defending his lord. "Jaken, leave it be..." Sesshoumaru warned. "Ye...yes mi Lord." Jaken stood still.

"I know you were planning on following me...the tone in your voice when we spoke earlier hinted at such. So I came to find you, I will allow you to travel with me...I refuse to be followed like some animal." Arashi explained. "Agreed..." Sesshoumaru nodded, still biding his time for when he would be able to destroy this creature. '_The nerve...'_ he thought. "You can come too..." She said winking at Jaken, who promptly blushed and shied away. Sesshoumaru lent down to whisper something to Ah-Uhn who promptly left.

Chuckling, Arashi motioned for Sesshoumaru and Jaken to come closer to her. She picked Jaken up, much to his chagrin and touched Sesshoumaru's left shoulder who flinched slightly at the contact. "What are you doing?" Sesshoumaru asked quietly. "You are missing an arm..." She looked at him curiously. He narrowed his eyes. "It does not concern you..." He told her dangerously. She raised an eyebrow, but pushed the matter no further. "Fine...let's go..." And they disappeared.

**InuYasha and Co...**

"Ahhhhh..." Kagome sighed sinking further into the hot spring. "We needed this, right Sango?" She asked her companion. "You said it..." came Sango's reply. Miroku had performed one of his "exorcisms" and they had been able to get a comfortable room at the inn and a wonderful hot meal. "Do you think we'll find Naraku?" Sango asked seriously. Their search seemed endless. "Maybe with Arashi helping..." Kagome answered uncertainly.

"Arashi seems to be powerful...what do you think happened to her earlier?" Kagome wondered out loud and continued. "I felt her aura beginning to increase, while it was happening, so maybe she can transform herself..." Sango nodded in agreement. "I think you have a point, but it seemed to me like she didn't have much control over it..." Sango stated plainly. "Beats me...c'mon let's get out of here and get back to the inn." Kagome suggested and they got out of the spring.

**Back at the inn...**

"Miroku, if you leave to spy on the girls, I'll rip you to shreds." InuYasha warned his friend who in turn put up his hands in defeat and surrender. "Do not fear InuYasha..." He said good humored. "Keh..." InuYasha got up and looked out of their window. "I wonder if and when Arashi will show up..." InuYasha thought out loud but heard no reply. He turned back to the room to find Miroku had disappeared. "MONK!" InuYasha yelled and ran out of the room, towards the entrance of the inn. He swung the door aside and saw something that made him drop to his knees and laugh.

Arashi stood right outside of the inn and had Miroku floating in the air, unable to move. "InuYasha help me!" Miroku begged his friend, but InuYasha was too busy laughing. "Looks to me like I won't need to rip you to shreds with Arashi here..." InuYasha finally said trying to calm himself.

"It seems to me that Miroku tried to come protect us Kagome..." Sango said sarcastically coming out of the forest with her friend. "Luckily for us Arashi stopped him..." Kagome couldn't help but chuckle. Miroku cleared his throat, "Good, you girls are safe..." continuing to put up his ruse. "Stop with the act monk...I can read thoughts, remember?" Arashi smirked at him. "I knew from the moment you stepped out of the inn what you were up to...don't try lying to me again...I may not go easy on you next time..." Arashi winked at him and let go of her hold, he in turn blushed furiously.

"Now that, that is settled..." Sesshoumaru came from the forest with Jaken tagging along. "What're you doin' here, Sesshoumaru?" InuYasha asked quickly forgetting about what just happened. "He came with me...I brought him." Arashi spoke up. "Why? InuYasha looked at her like she was crazy. "Don't forget that he has had someone taken from him as well, InuYasha." She said truthfully. "Like he cares..." InuYasha muttered under his breath. "Half-breed filth, you do not know me..." Sesshoumaru's eyes blazed and he walked up to his brother and Arashi. "Feh..." InuYasha turned to Arashi and was met with a punch in the face that sent him to the ground, Sesshoumaru followed shortly after.

Everyone gasped and didn't know what was happening, all they knew was that Arashi had punched both InuYasha and Sesshoumaru and now towered above them. Neither could get up as she was holding them down. They both growled at her and Sesshoumaru bared his fangs. "Will you two stop with this nonsense!" Arashi scolded. "You two are brothers...the same blood flows through you both...don't you realize that?" She looked at Sesshoumaru. "You may be only half brothers, but doesn't that mean anything to you...?" Sesshoumaru scowled.

"I never knew what it was to have a sibling, and Yuri is the closest thing to true family that I have and I wouldn't give that up for the world...you two have family...but choose to stay at each others throats...I'm going to get Yuri back...with or without you...if you decide to come with me, as I know you both want to...then I will need you to get along...if you cannot complete this simple request...I will go alone... Now, what will it be gentlemen?" Arashi's eyes glowed as she looked at the brothers. Her hair and coat caught in some invisible breeze, giving her an unearthly look.

"Feh...whatever." InuYasha said. "I'll take that as a yes..." Arashi allowed her hold on InuYasha to lift. "Now what about you...?" She turned her attention to Sesshoumaru who smirked. "How much longer can you hold me down?" He asked slowly. He felt her energy slowly fade as soon as she held them to the ground. '_Any minute now and she will be too weak to hold me...and I may get my chance...'_ Sesshoumaru thought. Arashi narrowed her eyes and lowered herself to get into his face... "I don't know...care to try me?" She challenged and Sesshoumaru growled.

"You haven't had blood tonight, and I feel your energy ebbing as we speak..." He spoke icily...knowing he would have the upper hand if he could weaken her. "What would you know, demon...?" Arashi replied just as coldly, but couldn't deny that what he said was true. Sesshoumaru's eyes began to change to red and Arashi could feel a change happening within Sesshoumaru. "This is the last time that you presume to subdue me, wench." He said and he pushed Arashi to the ground and began his transformation.

Arashi knew she had pushed him too far and would suffer the consequences...yet she was utterly curious as to his true form. "Everybody get out of here!" InuYasha yelled and cursed Arashi for egging his brother on. "Dammit..." He ran up to Arashi. "Why'd you have to go and do that, huh?" He asked. "He wanted a fight...remember...well now he's got it." Arashi spoke calmly even as Sesshoumaru towered over her in his dog form, poison acid dripping from his mouth.

"Stay back, InuYasha..." Arashi took one last look at InuYasha and flung him back toward the inn and the rest of the group.

To Be Continued...

**A/N:** Sorry about the cliffy... :) Thank you all for your reviews, they keep me writing. If you guys have any suggestions, remember just ask and I'll see what I can do! Love you all!


	8. Chapter 7

When Dark Meets Light

Chapter 7

Arashi looked towards Sesshoumaru in his true form and could only marvel at it. '_So this is it...'_ She pulled her swords and got into a defensive stance. She looked like a mere insect compared to Sesshoumaru. The group behind her looked on as Sesshoumaru was clearly the more powerful of the two, even if Arashi didn't seem to acknowledge it.

He let out a feral growl and bared his fangs. "Well, well Sesshoumaru...you should stay in this form all the time...that way people can see you for what you really are...an animal." Arashi said with sarcasm. Sesshoumaru almost barked at her comment and rushed towards her. She steadied herself as Sesshoumaru closed in quickly. Arashi defended against the giant paw that threatened to rip her in half with her swords, but still was knocked to the ground with the force.

Sesshoumaru howled as a pain shot through his paw and suddenly became still. He wore what could only be described as a thoughtful expression for a dog and began to glow. "What are you doing, canine?" Arashi asked picking herself up wiping blood from her mouth with the back of her hand. Sesshoumaru began to shrink and was soon in his humanoid form. "I had a revelation..." Sesshoumaru answered smugly. Blood flowing freely from his hand.

"Oh, really? What might that be?" Arashi asked once again getting into a defensive stance. "You cannot be killed by normal methods..."A smirk firmly planted on his face. Arashi narrowed her eyes. "What makes you think that? You already knew I was strong...so what's your point?" She questioned becoming impatient.

"You gave yourself away earlier...you were condemned from birth...unlike your little friend..." Sesshoumaru pulled Tensaiga from its' sheath. Arashi's eyes widened at the mention of Yuri. Then she noticed the sword and was immediately overcome with the light from the blade. "Damn dog...what do you think you are doing?" Arashi spat, in a voice dark with menace. "I think that any normal blade would have no effect on you...but as you can now tell this is no ordinary sword..." Sesshoumaru slowly began advancing on Arashi.

"Congratulations, Sesshoumaru...but I have a few tricks up my sleeve as well..." Arashi smirked and her swords began to glow black. Sesshoumaru paused, '_Even when she is weakened, she has such power...'_ Her swords were emitting a dark aura and he felt his Tensaiga pulse with power. "C'mon pup...what's wrong?" Arashi asked jokingly. "You wench...even with your two swords, you cannot over-power my father's fang..." Sesshoumaru began advancing again, Tensaiga shaking almost violently in his hand.

"You are the un-dead...Tensaiga will destroy you." Sesshoumaru steadied Tensaiga and brought it across his chest ready to strike. Arashi brought her swords behind her and started running at Sesshoumaru striking first, Tensaiga able to meet her strike for strike.

InuYasha looked on and could barely see the blades clash, because they were so fast. "InuYasha...can you make out what's going on?" Sango asked, not being able to see nearly what InuYasha was able to. "Barely...but it seems that they're only striking...nothing too impressive...like they're judging each other." InuYasha flinched as Sesshoumaru dealt a close blow to Arashi who countered with an equally deadly combination of her own. "You mean they are just playing with each other...?" Shippo asked wide-eyed. "Yeah...that's what it looks like." InuYasha replied.

"You don't have the strength to defeat me..." Sesshoumaru remarked and suddenly everything stopped. Sesshoumaru was breathing hard and stood a few feet from Arashi. She was panting herself, and looked to be a little hunched over. "Is that all you have, Sesshoumaru?" Arashi knew that he could have beaten her, having had no blood that night made her weak. But it was Sesshoumaru who stopped the contest. He squinted at her and knew he was nearing his limit in his humanoid form.

Sesshoumaru slowly walked to Arashi and stood before her. "Here we go again..." Miroku said under his breath. But no one was attacking. "What's going on?" Kagome whispered to InuYasha. "Feh, like I know..." He replied straining his dog ears to hear.

Arashi somehow knew he wouldn't attack, even if she couldn't read his mind. '_Not that he needs to know that...'_ She thought to herself. Arashi met his gaze and wanted to melt into the ground. His Amber eyes piercing into her. She mentally shuddered. "You are distracted..." Sesshoumaru stated knowingly. He knew that she had much more power than she had just presented him, but hadn't tapped into it. "What?" Arashi asked in a voice not as strong as she would have liked.

"Your ward is gone...you think about her too much... and you could be dead now because of it." Sesshoumaru whispered so his brother could not hear. "Why didn't you kill me then...what stopped you?" Arashi spat defiantly and Sesshoumaru almost recoiled. "I want to fight when you have no distractions..." Sesshoumaru lied, hoping that she wouldn't know. '_I am distracted as well...but only partly by Rin...'_ He admitted to himself. He had to confess that she impressed him, even while distracted. She could easily stand toe to toe with him, and he wanted, gods forbid, to smile.

"You are right of course...but I wouldn't have expected you to stop..." Arashi gave a nod of her head, his eyes still gazing through her. '_Yuri is only half my problem...'_ She said to herself. Sesshoumaru stayed silent. "How about this..." Arashi began. "We will finish this on our own time...when we have found and destroyed Naraku..." Arashi suggested sticking her hand out. Sesshoumaru mulled over the offer in his head. He wanted to see the extent of her powers, and fighting her with no distractions would be perfect. '_Doing something else to her without distractions would be perfect as well...'_ A small voice in the back of his mind whispered. He mentally shook his head of the voice and in turn shook Arashi's hand. "I will agree to that." Sesshoumaru removed his hand and began walking away.

InuYasha and his friends stood shocked as the two combatants shook hands and separated. Sesshoumaru telling Jaken to follow him, and they disappeared into the forest. Arashi looked after Sesshoumaru and finally focused on something other than the dog demon. '_What the hell just happened?'_ Arashi had noticed Sesshoumaru's eyes before he shook her hand, they had looked distant and far away. '_For someone so aware of his and everyone elses thoughts that was pretty weird.'_ She couldn't help but wonder what went through his mind, and wished that she could read it.

"Arashi! What happened?" Shippo asked running up to her. Arashi blinked out of her thoughts, looked at the fox demon and smiled. "Just an agreement...don't worry, it's nothing." Arashi said to him and the rest of the group that had huddled around her. InuYasha didn't buy it and wanted to know what had happened between the two. "What do you mean, it's nothing...Sesshoumaru doesn't just stop fighting someone." InuYasha said accusingly. "InuYasha...be nice..." Kagome threatened and InuYasha's ears drooped.

Arashi had to laugh as InuYasha looked completely defeated and Kagome hadn't even done anything. "Damn..." Arashi cursed quietly. Dawn was approaching and Arashi felt her powers becoming weaker. "I need to get to a dark room..." Arashi offered as an explanation and everyone knew what she was talking about. "How about you stay in the room with us girls...we'll sleep today, and continue looking tonight." Kagome suggested, curious about how anyone could sleep the day away. "Yeah and then we can find Naraku as a group..." Miroku added and began walking to the inn.

"Alright...then let's get some rest..." InuYasha said and followed Miroku to their room. The girls and Shippo going into a room across the hall. Arashi closed the shades in their room making sure no light could get in. '_I miss my coffin more and more each day...'_ She went and sat in a corner and closed her eyes. Sango, Shippo and Kagome were curious about why she chose the corner, and not a futon, but didn't say anything.

"Well good night...er...day." Kagome said and chuckled. "This is strange...sleeping during the day...how did you get used to it, Arashi?" Sango was curious. Arashi kept her eyes closed. "I didn't need to get used to it...I was born like this." She replied seriously. "I have never seen a sunrise, so it does not bother me..." She added. "Really?" Shippo asked, Arashi simply nodded. "What would happen if you went out in the sunlight?" Sango asked laying down in her futon. "You don't want to know...it's not a pretty sight." Arashi told her crossing her arms. "Have you ever wanted to be able to go outside during the day?" Kagome asked this time.

Arashi opened her eyes at this. "I..." She paused. "I don't know...It was never an issue with me...I have never really thought about it..." She replied honestly. "When the sun begins to show in the morning I feel almost sick...and my strength decreases to almost nothing. If I had to feel that way all day...I would hate it." She said shuddering. "Are all vampires like you?" Sango piped up. "What do you mean, like me?" Arashi turned her attention to Sango, who flinched. "I mean..." She paused, she really didn't know what she meant. "Don't mistake my caring for Yuri for weakness...she is my family, and I would die protecting her..." She narrowed her eyes. "Most vampires don't really care one way or the other about other vampires, including their children...so I suppose I am different." She admitted.

"What about..." Kagome began but stopped as Arashi looked to her. "You need your rest for tonight..." Arashi stated with finality and Kagome backed down, but was still curious about something. Arashi's eyes widened when she realized what Kagome was going to ask. "I do not know that answer, you would have to ask Sesshoumaru." Arashi replied shortly and closed her eyes once again. Signaling that the conversation was over. Kagome got into her futon and soon fell asleep with Shippo in her arms, followed by Sango.

_'What about Sesshoumaru...why do you think he stopped? Do you think he likes you?'_ Arashi shuddered at the thought. '_Why is everyone so surprised that he stopped the fight, and where does she get off thinking that he likes me...it's as plain as day that he wants to kill me...'_ But that did not fit...he had stopped and let her live...for now that is. "Hmmm..." Arashi grumbled, closed her eyes and tried searching for Yuri with her mind, but nothing came up. Opening her eyes, her forehead scrunched together. "Dammit, Yuri...where are you?"she asked silently...she was frustrated and an idea popped into her head. She closed her eyes and started searching again, but this time for Sesshoumaru.

To Be Continued...

**A/N:** Sorry about the wait on this chapter...I've tried to be better at getting them up fast...but I haven't really had the chance. Anyway, there's some Sess/Arashi "cuteness" (or what could be contrude as cuteness for Sesshoumaru) coming up...so stay tuned. Thanks for the reviews and keep them comin'!


	9. Chapter 8

**A/N:** Sorry for the long wait...this chapter is kind of confusing (Lots of talking), so try and bear with me... :) Love the reviews you guys rock!!!

When Dark Meets Light

Chapter 8

Sesshoumaru sat at the base of a tree not far away from the inn his brother was residing at. Jaken had, out of boredom, fallen asleep sitting across from his lord. "_Sesshoumaru?"_ He heard a female voice in his head. Not knowing what was happening he almost panicked...thinking he might be going insane. "_I know its you..."_ The voice came again and Sesshoumaru knew who it was, and could tell she was frustrated. "_Stay out of my head, wench...you don't belong here..."_ Sesshoumaru replied dangerously. '_How dare she enter my mind...'_ He thought to himself. "_Don't worry...I can't read your thoughts...your mind is surprisingly complex."_ And with that Sesshoumaru smirked... '_So she hadn't been able to read my mind...'_ "_What do you want?"_ He asked coldly. "_You don't have to be angry with me...I just wanted to talk."_ Arashi's voice echoed through his mind.

He scoffed._ "What on earth would you want to talk to me about?"_ He couldn't help but wonder, and thought that it might be an interesting conversation. "_I am locked in a dark room, with two girls that can't keep their traps shut...and they finally fell asleep. I thought seeking intelligent conversation might help me relax, besides...I want information."_ She replied. "_I would have to admit that this is the most unusual form of conversation I've ever had."_ He spoke truthfully getting used to thinking his response to her surprisingly quick. "_I normally do not even talk to people formally..."_ He admitted.

_"Why not?"_ Arashi questioned obviously curious. "_I don't need to talk...I get things done faster when I don't."_ He told her plainly. "_What kinds of things do you need to get done?"_ Arashi questioned further. "_I know what you are trying to do...and it won't work..."_ He felt like she was trying to draw something out of him. "_Your questions are annoying at best...what do you really want to say?"_ He asked dryly. His mind kept trying to tell him that he shouldn't be as cold to her as he was, but his resolve wouldn't budge.

_"The girl Kagome wanted to ask me the strangest thing before she went to sleep...it was about you."_ Arashi swift reply caught him off guard. '_The miko was asking about me?'_ He thought to himself. Sesshoumaru stayed silent and waited for her to continue. "_Do you hate everyone so much?"_ This question also caught him off guard. "_I don't hate everyone...only people who get in my way."_ He still didn't know where she was going with her questions and didn't want to know why he was willingly answering them.

_"What are you trying to accomplish with your questions?"_ He asked, more from curiosity than anything. He didn't care...or so he told himself. That's when he realized it...for some ungodly reason he did care about what she thought about him. '_What is she doing to me...I could care less what she thinks.'_ "_She seemed to be under the impression that you might like me."_

Sesshoumaru's eyes widened with shock. "_What?"_ He asked hoping that he had misunderstood her. "_You heard me loud and clear, dog boy..."_ Came her sarcastic response. "_Dog boy?"_ He was offended... "_Don't change the subject...so what is it?" _She nearly scolded. "_How could anyone like you when you have no manners, and cannot control your tongue."_ He shot back skillfully avoiding her question.

_"What would you like me to do? Call you **Lord** Sesshoumaru? Bow and grovel at your feet? I think not. It is not my style, besides you wouldn't call me Lady Arashi now would you?"_ She couldn't keep the humor out of her voice when she thought of him calling her Lady, even though it was her rightful title. "_I'll have you know that I do not submit...to anyone."_ She added clearly. "_Of course you wouldn't...you are far too hot headed for something as simple as showing respect."_ He scowled and was happy she was not there to witness that he might be even a minute amount interested in the talk they were having.

_"I show respect, when others give it to me...so far you haven't even called me by name, its Arashi, 'not wench' ."_ She said shortly. "_It seems that we have reached an impasse."_ Sesshoumaru answered cooly. "_Touche." _Came the good-natured reply. There was a comfortable pause, then, "_Can I ask you something?"_ Sesshoumaru could detect a hint of anxiety in her voice. "_Nothing has stopped you so far..." _He said, for some ungodly reason, to try and relax her."_Very funny...I can appreciate dry humor." _Arashi paused for a while. "_Why are you missing an arm?"_ She asked almost nervously. Sesshoumaru scowled, "_InuYasha..."_ She understood and wisely chose to leave the subject of InuYasha for another time.

_"I also wanted to know about this Naraku...what can you tell me about him?"_ He had had a feeling that Naraku was going to come up. "_I cannot tell you much...he is cunning and uses any means to reach his desires..."_ He paused, he really didn't want to make it seem that he was not able to find Naraku, and he absolutely did not want to appear weak. "_I see...I can't seem to sense him or Yuri at all...do you have any thoughts on where he might be?"_ Sesshoumaru sighed and once again reached into his obi. '_When did this rock become so important to me?'_ He didn't know the answer. "_No...he is constantly on the move..."_ There was a pause and Sesshoumaru almost thought that she had left. "_I know what I could do...but I wouldn't know what the consequences would be..."_ Arashi's voice sounded strained.

_"What could you do?"_ He asked more urgently than he suspected was normal. "_It's nothing...It will be my plan 'B'..."_ She sounded like she wanted to brush off the comment. "_I want to know...I will not be caught off guard by you."_ He said, even though she had already done that this evening...a couple times. "_It is a technique that hasn't been used in a long time...in fact not within my lifetime...it takes an extreme amount of power...I probably wouldn't even have enough...but it is essentially a freezing trick...like the one I did for you, of course this would be on a massive scale, and I don't think that I should even attempt it...like I said, it would be a last resort."_ When she finished Sesshoumaru gaped. "_I see..."_ He couldn't think of anything else to say. She was talking about pausing the world, and the thought almost scared him.

_"You should really talk more often...you're a surprisingly good listener..."_ The hinted compliment set him off course...again. "_I suppose that was as close to a compliment as I could expect from someone like you._ "_What do you mean... 'someone like me'?"_ Arashi attempted to hide the curiosity in her voice, but Sesshoumaru detected it, and smirked. His mind told him to say something sarcastic, but his instincts told him something completely different, he chose the former. "_For someone that is brash, presumptuous and not afraid to speak her mind, I mean."_ He cleverly avoided something that could have put him in a very vulnerable place. His objective was to keep her vulnerable, not the other way around.

_"Right...of course and I suppose I could take that as a compliment...you know for someone who is cold, withdrawn and detached such as yourself." _She shot back at him. "_Indeed." _He was surprised to find that he more than tolerated her presence in his head, which he promptly shook and once again tried to deny to himself that something bigger just might be happening. '_I can't be going soft, can I?'_ He asked himself almost afraid of the answer. '_This is Rin's doing...'_ He admitted once he found the answer to be a yes and he put the rock back in his obi.

_"Well I should probably attempt at some form of relaxation...going too long without blood can be hell if I don't have rest."_ Her voice echoed and he felt her presence slowly withdraw from his mind._ "See you tonight...Sesshoumaru."_ She added and was gone. "Tonight." He replied out loud to himself. Jaken flinched at hearing his master's voice, but didn't wake up.

**Arashi...**

She was happy almost giddy, and felt like she had cracked a small part of the ice between Sesshoumaru and herself. Of course she knew that he had, in fact, never answered her previous question, but overlooked it for now. "Now for some rest..." She laid her head back and snuggled into her coat which seemed to have more life in it.

To Be Continued...

**A/N:** So there's chapter 8...Hope you enjoyed, and please review!


	10. Chapter 9

When Dark Meets Light

Chapter 9

Arashi reluctantly opened her eyes...it had been one of the all time best rests she had ever had. Looking around she found the others still sleeping deeply. She went to the window and saw that it was dusk, and therefore safe for her to go outside. She walked to the door of their room and walked through it as to not wake the others.

She arrived outside the inn and stretched dramatically. "I was wondering when you would wake up..." Sesshoumaru's voice whispered from the trees. "You don't need sleep?" She asked out of curiousity. "No..." He emerged and stopped. "I thought I should get blood before the others wake up...I don't want to cause another fit..." She nodded her head and turned to go further into the small village they were staying in.

Not having anything better to do Sesshoumaru decided to accompany her. He admitted...to himself, that the talk they shared that morning had left him even more curious than before. Arashi stopped and waited for him to catch up to her. They began walking together and Arashi glanced at him, but didn't say anything.

They reached a hut at the far end of the village that looked to be abandoned. Of course both Arashi and Sesshoumaru knew otherwise. Whoever was inside was probably homeless and stayed there out of necessity. "I'll be right back..." She whispered to Sesshoumaru who nodded and watched her enter the hut. There was a strangled cry and a minute later a soft thump on the floor. Arashi emerged and smiled at Sesshoumaru. "I feel better already." She told him.

He looked at her and noticed a small trail of blood coming from the corner of her mouth. What he did next shocked him, and almost brought Arashi to her knees. He reached out with a clawed finger, cleared the blood, and with a fluid motion brought the finger to his lips licking the blood off. Arashi stared at his finger and couldn't get her mind to work properly, before she knew it Sesshoumaru had his back to her and was waiting rather smugly for her to pay attention.

Sesshoumaru never flirted, it was beneath him as he could have practically anyone he chose. It never was an issue in the past, and had on several occasions indulged himself, and the lucky women, but he never once went to that level...therefore it shocked him that he had gone clearly over the line, past flirting and straight into blatant seduction. Her reaction had his ego expanding exponentially and he acknowledged that he liked the feeling very much.

Arashi blinked several times and shook her head. She turned to find Sesshoumaru waiting for her and she mentally smacked herself. '_Two can play at this game...Sesshoumaru.'_ The thought of how fun it would be had her smiling evily. She never would have thought that Sesshoumaru would ever have a playful side, but found that she wanted to exploit it to the best of her ability. She laughed and started after Sesshoumaru.

**With the girls...**

Kagome woke up with a start and looked around the small room. Sango and Shippo were still sleeping, but Arashi had left from the corner. "Arashi?" She whispered as to not wake the others. She heard no reply, so she carefully disentangled herself from Shippo and went to the window. Peaking through the shades she saw it was nearly pitch black outside. She heard her friends beginning to stir and turned around to find them rubbing their eyes and looking at her questioningly. "It's dark already, and Arashi is gone..." She informed them and they got up and began getting ready.

After Kagome got dressed she went across the hall to the boys' room. Knocking quietly she heard a grumbled reply that could only be Miroku, and a startled yell of "Who the hell is it?" That was purely InuYasha. "Um...I think it's time to get up you guys... "She said quietly and saw Sango and Shippo heading towards the entrance of the inn. Not hearing anything other than shuffling from the room Kagome left and met her friends out front.

InuYasha and Miroku showing up a few minutes later, looking disheveled and remotely confused. "Hey guys...Arashi was gone when I got up...so I thought maybe we should be getting ready to go." Kagome informed the men. Suddenly InuYasha's ears perked up and he looked off to his right. Kagome and the others noticed and looked as well. They saw Sesshoumaru and Arashi walking together in the direction of the inn.

Kagome gasped and InuYasha shot her a look that said 'be quiet.' '_What the hell is goin' on here?'_ InuYasha was having a difficult time wrapping his brain around the fact that Sesshoumaru was walking beside Arashi and looked to be completely comfortable with it. "Oi! What's goin' on?" He yelled to them. "InuYasha...you forget that it's night now...you need to be quiet." Kagome scolded. Arashi and Sesshoumaru looked up to find the confused but completely hilarious looks that the others were giving them. "We were wondering when you would be getting up." Arashi spoke for Sesshoumaru as well as herself.

Sesshoumaru stopped a few feet and let Arashi continue ahead. He still hated his brother, and didn't want to appear soft. Looking in the direction of where he and Jaken stayed that day and went off to bring Jaken. Arashi stood before the group and laughed. The looks were still getting to her. "What are the faces for?" She asked calming down. Her voice snapped everyone out of their stares.

"What's going on with you and Sesshoumaru?" Kagome asked giddily. Something clicked within Arashi '_That's what the stares were for...'_ She laughed and shook her hand. "It's not what you think...honestly." She lied. "Besides we have a job to do, right?" She asked looking from one person to the next. Miroku, Sango, and Shippo were oblivious, but Kagome had a glint in her eye, and InuYasha raised an eyebrow in suspicion. He suddenly took Arashi's hand and lead her away from the others.

"InuYasha?" Kagome saw them and got worried. He waved his hand, which told Kagome they'd be right back. "Hurry back...we need to get going." She called after them. They soon disappeared behind the trees. "I wonder what's going on?" Sango asked Kagome, who shrugged.

**Arashi and InuYasha...**

"InuYasha...do you mind?" Arashi yanked her hand from his grip. "Listen...I know what you're going to say. You shouldn't worry, I'm a big girl." She tried comforting him. "And you truly don't know who you're dealing with. He's a ruthless tyrant and won't think twice about killing you." He replied rather harshly. He didn't even know what had compelled him to come out here. She wasn't his friend, and she could indeed take care of herself. "Ruthless tyrant? I suppose that is a good description..." A cold voice spoke from the trees. "Sesshoumaru...what are you doin here?" InuYasha called in the direction of his brother.

"Listen...as far as I'm concerned, as soon as I find Yuri, were looking for a way back home." Arashi knew something was about to happen, and she didn't want to be in the middle of a brotherly tussle. Sesshoumaru came forth and narrowed his eyes at his brother. "Who are you to be giving advice to someone?" Sesshoumaru questioned darkly. "I wasn't giving advice...I just wanted her to know who you really were..." InuYasha spat back. "How would you know who I really am?" Sesshoumaru moved closer to the other two.

"Hey we don't need to start fighting alright?" Arashi warned. The gleam in both brothers eyes spoke volumes and she didn't know what to do. Suddenly a scream rang out. They all paused before taking off in the direction of the inn. "That was Kagome..." InuYasha informed the other two.

_'Kagome...please be alright...'_ InuYasha kept repeating in his head.

To Be Continued...

**A/N:** I know that is was kind of short, but I'm saving it all for the next chapter. So thanks and please R&R!


	11. Chapter 10

**A/N:** So so so very sorry about the wait...please forgive me. Anyway, here's Chapter 10 enjoy!

When Dark Meets Light

Chapter 10

Arashi stopped running. "Stop!" She called to the brothers. InuYasha didn't know what compelled him but he stopped. "What!? We need to go find Kagome!" He screamed as Arashi enveloped them both in a hug. "You guys may run fast, but it'll be faster this way." Arashi explained and they disappeared.

They reappeared close to the inn, but in the trees so they could see what was happening without being seen. "That's Naraku's scent! Where are Kagome and the others?" InuYasha asked panicked. He ran out into the clearing yelling for his group. Arashi followed close behind but stopped and let her mind roam around the area. She caught Naraku's aura and began running in his direction. "InuYasha this way!" She called behind her. InuYasha ran after her followed by Sesshoumaru.

_'Thats Rin's scent...'_ Sesshoumaru sped up a little bit as to not lose the scent, and caught up with Arashi and InuYasha. "C'mon..." Sesshoumaru picked Arashi up bridal style and ran faster, and InuYasha picked up his pace. "What the...?" Arashi never finished. "You may be able to disappear, but you cannot run as fast as demons." Sesshoumaru informed her. She tried to stay calm, but her heart was racing. She could feel Sesshoumaru's pulse and noticed that it was calm and he wasn't even breaking a sweat. Sesshoumaru heard her heart and smirked, but then shook his head of the thoughts. '_This is not the time...'_ He reminded himself.

InuYasha saw his brother pick Arashi up and nearly collapsed under himself out of shock. He barely kept up with Sesshoumaru, but soon found Kagome's scent mixed with the others and mingling with that was the scent of blood and it urged him to go faster. "I smell blood..." Arashi said worried. "You would, now wouldn't you?" InuYasha stated sarcastically. Arashi shot him a defiant look, "If you don't like that I drink blood then you can leave...I can't and won't change the way I am..." She told him. InuYasha just huffed and rolled his eyes.

Sesshoumaru watched this and smiled inwardly, '_She's fiesty...'_ He thought and began to slow his pace, they were almost there. He stopped and set Arashi down gently. "Thanks..." She said and peered through the trees. "I know they're here, but I can't see them. Can you?" Arashi asked the brothers who shook their heads. "I can't just wait here...Kagome could be in serious trouble..." With that InuYasha took off into a clearing. Arashi and Sesshoumaru glanced at each other, and started after him.

**Kagome and the others...**

"They're coming...perfect." Naraku spoke darkly. "What are you doing, Naraku!?" Kagome asked sounding more courageous than she actually felt. Looking around she saw Kohaku and Kanna sitting close to Naraku, who was himself perched atop a large boulder. She also saw Yuri, who Kagome hoped was only unconscious, and not dead. She inwardly cringed, in spite of herself. There would be hell to pay if something happened to her. As for Rin, Sango, Kirara, Shippo and Miroku she couldn't see where they were.

Before she could ask where her friends were, InuYasha, Arashi and Sesshoumaru all out rushed into the clearing. InuYasha saw Kagome and immediately went to her protect her. "Right on time..." Naraku hopped down from the rock and looked the group over. Arashi turned her attention to Yuri and could tell that she was hanging on, but just barely. Her eyes narrowed and she looked to Naraku. "What have you done to her, filth?" She asked, eyes flashing red. "She wouldn't fully cooperate, so I was forced to subdue her..." He left out what exactly he had done.

"Where is Rin, Naraku?" Sesshoumaru calmly stepped forward. "She's safe...for now." He offered nothing more. Sesshoumaru quickly became impatient, and drew Tokijin. "I wouldn't do that if I were you...you'll never find her that way." Naraku shook his finger at Sesshoumaru, who in turn raised an eyebrow.

"Tell us where Rin and the others are, and I will kill you quickly. If you don't, I can assure you that your death will be slow, long and painful." Arashi threatened and her fangs grew, but Naraku just stood there. Arashi's aura began to change again. Naraku glared at her and extended a tentacle towards Yuri, picking her up and bringing her in front of himself like a shield. Arashi paused and her eyes glowed red. "You vile beast, using a little girl as a shield...you're a coward, and an abomination..." Arashi spoke with such fury that even Sesshoumaru took a step back. "You will not harm the girl...but to get to me you have to..." Naraku smiled smugly.

Arashi shuddered and from her back came two giant black, feathered wings and an invisible wind pick her up. She pulled her swords and they grew almost as long as she was tall. Kagome just stared and InuYasha (after getting over the shock) started to untie Kagome. He picked her up and went into the woods with every intention of trying to keep her away from what was about to happen. He turned to go but tripped over something. Getting up, he felt around and found a door. Kagome peered over InuYasha's shoulder trying to get a better look, but he just told her to stay back.

Preparing himself for a fight InuYasha threw open the hidden door and was surprised to find Rin, Sango, Miroku, Shippo and Kirara all huddled together trying to find a way out. "Are you alright?" He asked and put his arm down to help them all out of the hole. "Nothing too serious..." Miroku said rubbing a bump on his head, he was sporting a bruise, but it didn't come from Naraku. "He tried groping you, huh?" InuYasha asked Sango, who nodded.

**Arashi and Sesshoumaru...**

Naraku just stared open mouthed at the being in front of him. "You will pay for whatever crimes you have committed..." Arashi told him and he swallowed and brought Yuri closer to him. "Let her go...I will not ask again..." Arashi warned and brought her swords up ready to strike. "You will have to pry her from my cold dead fingers..." Naraku shot back. "As you wish..." Was all she said and she dove at Naraku, her swords cutting into him. He was screaming and writhing in agony, but then smirked. "I'm evil, you wench...those swords cannot kill me." Naraku calmly informed her and with a tentacle, knocked her far away from him and Yuri.

She picked herself up and stopped. "Fine..." She sheathed her swords. "...If they can't kill you, I will take pleasure in ripping you limb from limb..." Her voice was harsh, and didn't remotely sound like herself. "...With my hands..." She finished and Sesshoumaru's eyes widened in shock as he looked from Arashi to Naraku. '_So this is it...her true form...'_ Sesshoumaru mused and smirked evilly.

"Naraku...it would appear to me that you have picked a fight with someone, who you couldn't possibly defeat." Sesshoumaru informed Naraku, and smirked, but it quickly faded. Above them the sky turned black and a voice rang out above them. "You are all so gullible...you really thought you would get me that easily...especially with this little girl...this is an inllusion, and you will all parish!"

To Be Continued...

**A/N:** Cliffy...Thanks to all you who reviewed, I love you all and keep them coming!


	12. Chapter 11

When Dark Meets Light

Chapter 11

"What have you done you bastard!?" Arashi snarled, her only reply was the dark, menacing chuckle of Naraku. "If you have hurt Yuri in any way..."She paused and left the threat open. Her true form shaking with anticipation. "What will you do? You cannot escape this illusion...your friend Yuri is surprisingly powerful..." He trailed off when InuYasha and the others rushed into the fray with utterly confused looks on each of their faces. InuYasha looked to Sesshoumaru who was wearing and expression of confusion mixed with what looked to InuYasha like intrigue. Finding his line of site he looked upon a creature that vaguely appeared to be Arashi, but she had changed dramatically.

She had black wings protruding from her back and an ominous invisible wind blowing her hair and coat. He heard Kagome and the others gasp and could tell that they saw Arashi as well. "We've obviously missed something..." He whispered to himself. "You coward...show yourself...you can't hide from me forever! I'll rip you apart and let you recover, and then rip you apart again, you piece of shit!" Arashi screamed at the heavens adding to InuYasha's confusion about the situation.

He ran to Sesshoumaru to see if he would have some answers. Sesshoumaru turned to face him, surprise written all over his face. He had been too busy watching Arashi that he had not noticed his half brother running up to him. "What the hell's goin' on here Sesshoumaru?" He asked returning his attention to Arashi. "We've all been..." He trailed off looking beyond InuYasha at the group of his friends. InuYasha looked at Sesshoumaru to clarify, but he was looking to Rin and his group. InuYasha looked behind him and found all of them seeming to melt into the ground. "What?!" He exclaimed out of shock.

"This is an illusion, InuYasha...they are not real..." Sesshoumaru informed him calmly, trying to think of a way out of this. He concluded that Arashi would be the only one that could provide an answer, but he was not about to commit suicide by asking her. Luckily for him, his brother was not as cautious and ran up to Arashi shaking her shoulders. "What's going on Arashi?" He asked and she turned around to face him. InuYasha couldn't help himself, his ears flattened against his head and he backed away.

"That filth has forced Yuri to imprison us in an illusion that we will be lucky to live through...let alone escape." She told him flatly. InuYasha didn't know what to say, so he just nodded his head. She turned back to the heavens. "You will never escape...besides, your friends are beyond help at this point..." Naraku's voice boomed, and he began to laugh sadistically. InuYasha froze, as did Sesshoumaru, their friends were gone? How could this happen? "What are you saying, Naraku?" InuYasha asked, feeling foolish asking the sky.

"This illusion will surely kill you. I will keep your friends alive until you all are dead, you know, for motivation...as soon as you all parish I will kill your friends. Oh...and I expect quite the show, as I will be watching you all carefully, so don't disappoint me..." Silence followed the last statement. "That sick..." InuYasha was so furious that he couldn't finish a thought. The only thing going through his mind was how to get Kagome and the others back.

Sesshoumaru joined his brother and Arashi. "We will get them back, InuYasha...all of them." He didn't know where the sudden humanity within him had come from, but had a good feeling that it was Rin's influence. InuYasha looked to his brother, confusion evident on his face. A sudden dark chuckling broke the moment of brotherly acceptance and they found that it was Arashi who was laughing. "You have no idea, what this place is, do you?" She narrowed her eyes and looked to the brothers, a serious expression on her face.

"What do you mean...?" InuYasha didn't like the way this new Arashi behaved, this was no time for laughing. "I mean..._InuYasha_." She put emphasis on his name. "That this place will not only be soon crawling with monsters of a kind you have never seen before, but it will also have an effect on our minds. Eventually we will go mad, and then nothing we do will get us out of this illusion." She saw InuYasha and Sesshoumaru widen their eyes and she continued. "There is only one creature who has ever survived this...and that was my father."

"How...how did he do it?" InuYasha asked impatiently. "Ha! You think he would have told me that...he hated me more than I hated him..." She said in false humor. She closed her eyes and shook her head. "Do you have any other information?" Sesshoumaru asked quickly growing tired of this whole situation. "I think that we have about an hour, if that, until the creatures come for us. Then after that it is only a matter of time until we slowly lose our minds..."

Sesshoumaru contemplated this. What could they do? "What kind of creatures are they?" InuYasha was curious. "I have only heard rumors that they are the soldiers of the devil. They are weak, but their numbers are said to be overwhelming..." She told them what she knew. "At least we know that one person survived this and his daughter is standing in front of us." InuYasha mused out loud, trying to keep up his morale.

"Right..." Arashi snorted rolling her eyes. Sesshoumaru could not take the subtle bickering between his brother and Arashi. "We can defeat the masses..." Arashi and InuYasha looked at him. Arashi closed her eyes and began to tremble a bit, and her wings retreated back into her body. Her coat settled around her form and she looked normal again. "How do you suggest that we do that?" She shot back. "Combined...our power may be enough to take many at a time...InuYasha has the Wind Scar, and I have my Dragon strike. Both of which are devastating. And you..." He trailed off looking at Arashi. He didn't really know what her swords did. InuYasha nodded his head mentally trying to prepare for the fight that was ahead of them.

"And I will freeze them all...if we have targets that are not fighting back...it will make things considerably easier...except for one tiny little bit of information...I will not lie, transforming has sapped some of my strength...I need blood, but as you can clearly see, no humans..." She looked around for emphasis. There was a pause... "I will give you some of mine..." Sesshoumaru offered. "No...that would take some of your strength away...I can't do that." Arashi was not about to take anyone's blood away.

"We have no choice..." He said softly, trying to convince himself as well as the other two. Arashi paused for a moment, thinking it over. "Fine..." She reluctantly agreed and stepped up to the Lord. "I will not take much...you are a demon, your blood should be more potent, right?" She shrugged and he nodded. She looked one last time into his golden eyes and shuddered. She had never had demon blood before. Sesshoumaru bent down a bit so she could have better access to his neck. He would never have believed that he would ever be in a position such as this. '_I am in a completely submissive position...I am at her mercy...'_ The thought brought a tingle to his spine, and he mentally shook his head. '_Now is definitely not the time...'_ He didn't understand what was happening to him.

Arashi poised herself over his jugular, and saw his pulse. She opened her mouth, "Ready?" She asked, and he nodded. Her fangs grew and were soon imbedded in his flesh. She drank almost greedily until she had just enough to give back some of her strength, and still leaving Sesshoumaru some as well. She removed her fangs and shuddered and dropped to her knees, shaking. Sesshoumaru slowly looked at her and InuYasha rushed to her side. "What's wrong?" Arashi continued to shake squeezing her eyes closed. Sesshoumaru stood up, albeit a bit wobbly and looked down at Arashi with eyes narrowed.

Suddenly she got up and shook herself. "Jesus, Sesshoumaru..." She paused and looked into his eyes. She smiled, "Your blood..." She stammered trying to find the right words. "Your blood is incredible..." His eyes widened, and he kept the blush at bay, but then smirked...It quickly faded as the ground beneath them began to tremble violently. "Here they come..." Arashi looked to the brothers who nodded...

To Be Continued...

**A/N:** Hey there's chapter 11 and chapter 12 is comin' soon...so hang tight! Thanks for the reviews and keep them comin'!


	13. Chapter 12

When Dark Meets Light

Chapter 12

The ground continued to shake and began splitting open under their feet. Decrepit hands were emerging from the cracks, pulling half dead bodies out of the ground. The trio just waited in anticipation, watching as hundreds of bodies came forth, followed by hundreds more. InuYasha gulped, unprepared for the sight. They were slowly being surrounded and InuYasha couldn't see an end to the sea of lumbering zombies. He heard Sesshoumaru take a calming breath, centering himself and he tried to do the same. "Just a little longer..." He heard Arashi say beside him and he nodded. They were advancing and he felt his heart rate increase ten fold.

"Little bit more..." Arashi was strangely antsy, Sesshoumaru's blood and the apprehension of the situation getting the better of her. The undead were almost there. She saw that they were mere feet away and suddenly everything stopped. The army of the undead was still, preparing to overwhelm them. She closed her eyes and nodded to Sesshoumaru and InuYasha and dark wings once again sprouted from her back followed by her swords glowing dark. She sent the most powerful wave of her aura around them freezing the zombies on the spot.

"We have to hurry..." She told the brothers and they understood...she wouldn't be able to hold them forever. Rushing past her Sesshoumaru and InuYasha began throwing attacks and slicing with their swords, effectively taking chunks out of their enemies and seeing them turned to grey dust. Arashi took off behind them and rushed past holding her swords at neck level slicing through wave after wave of the undead, easily taking their heads with expert precision.

Behind her she heard the calls of her would be companions expelling the strongest attacks from their swords. Blue and yellow lightning pushing past her and taking out the group around her. She looked behind and saw the brothers fighting with strength and speed to take out the hordes as quickly as they could. She took no time to look around her as she began slashing at another group of undead soldiers, making her way back to Sesshoumaru and InuYasha.

She felt Sesshoumaru's potent blood seep into her veins giving her strength and power, and she shuddered with a high that she had never experienced before. Within her a war was being waged...her blood versus Sesshoumaru's. They were vying for control and neither side was backing down. Somehow she didn't think it was normal...even for demon blood. She figured that demons...especially the dog demons she was dealing with, were highly territorial, but this was ridiculous. She took a deep breath and willed the blood within her to quiet, and it did. '_I need to have a talk with Sesshoumaru if we ever get out of this...'_ She thought and continued to hack and cleave at the undead surrounding her.

Leaving a trail of dust in her wake she soon rejoined the brothers. They didn't even spare her a glance as they concentrated on the still overwhelming army. Luckily they weren't able to fight back. InuYasha let his Wind Scar go taking with it a hundred plus of the zombies. Sesshoumaru following suit with his Dragon Strike, bringing an end to even more.

Arashi rose gracefully into the air and closed her eyes. She concentrated her power forming huge blades out of the air and sent them reeling through the crowd, slicing them in half. She did it again and sent many more zombies to their demise. She landed back on the ground, breathing heavily. Her power was beginning to ebb and she reinforced her hold of the multitude of soldiers, keeping them within her grasp.

Sesshoumaru felt her power wane slowly and it urged him to fight faster. '_This is unnerving...'_ He thought as he sent a powerful wave from Tokijin. _'Theres no end to them...'_ He found that even with all that they had already destroyed, more appeared to replace them. '_There has to be a better way...'_ He tried to think of something, but failed...they needed to destroy them all in a one stroke, and then stop them from coming back.

He paused finding Arashi slicing relentlessly at the zombies. "Arashi...this isn't working!" InuYasha voiced what he himself was thinking. "I know!" She replied and stopped, panting. "What should we do, more and more are coming..." He spoke the obvious. The trio gathered together. "We need to make sure more can't come through..." Sesshoumaru said, breathing heavily. InuYasha had never before wanted the help of his friends more than he did now.

Arashi searched her mind for anything that could help them. "Yuri created this illusion...maybe I can get through to her..." She said to herself more than anything. "What are the chances of that?" InuYasha asked solemnly. "Pitiful at best..." She replied serious. "We have to try something..." InuYasha roughly reminded them.

"I can try and reach her...it could be our only way...unfortunately, my hold on the zombies could lessen and some would be reanimated..." She informed them. "Let us take care of the zombies, you try and get to your friend." Sesshoumaru stated and gathered his senses looking to InuYasha. "Yeah...we'll give you as much time as we can..." He stood up to his full height. "Okay...let's do it..." And she got a confirmative nod from the brothers. She closed her eyes and focused her mind in trying to locate Yuri. Her hold of the zombies remained for the most part, but some got through. Sesshoumaru and InuYasha immediately took over and began their assault on the hordes once more.

"Yuri...where are you?" She spoke through her mind. Not finding her presence at first. She redoubled her efforts. "Lady Arashi..." A weak voice replied from the darkness. "Yuri...you must stop...the illusion will kill us..." She said with some urgency as the pale form of her companion appeared in front of her. "I...I can't...he's too...powerful..." Came her reply. "Yuri...listen to me...you must try. If you can release us...I promise that I will rescue you...but you have to let us go..." She tried to calm her friend. It was taking its toll on Yuri.

"Lady Arashi...he will kill me if I let you out..." The young voice of Yuri sounding surprisingly adult. "I won't let him...do you understand...I will get you back...please Yuri..." She nearly begged. "I will try...please Lady Arashi...you must hurry though..." She said weakly and disappeared from Arashi's sight. Opening her eyes she saw the illusion slowly melt away, surprising both demons. "Come on! We don't have much time!" She ran to them and put her arms around them in a hug. They took off from the ground as a small hole appeared before them.

She found the hole and pushed herself to go faster. The hole slowly began to close again as they pushed through and out into the light of early morning. She landed and let the brothers go. Feeling her body reacting to the sunlight she transformed back into her usual state. She glanced nervously around trying to find shelter as the sun slowly appeared across the landscape. "Shit...Not good..." She said out loud and the brothers immediately knew.

"I need to find shelter and fast, or there won't be anything left of myself." She reached with her minds eye and saw a shack a few miles away. "That way!" She yelled and disappeared from sight. "What should we do?" InuYasha asked his brother near panic. "Naraku undoubtedly knows that we escaped with the help of that girl..." Sesshoumaru paused. "...and Arashi is not able to help us during the day." InuYasha thought it would be better if he didn't mention the fact that Sesshoumaru was openly admitting that he needed help, so he stayed quiet.

"Maybe she can find Naraku's aura and meet us later?" InuYasha suggested, the need to find Kagome and the others becoming increasingly greater. "Let's see what she can do..." InuYasha urged. "Agreed." Sesshoumaru replied and the brothers were soon off to find where Arashi had taken shelter...

To Be Continued...

**A/N:** Hey everybody! That was Chapter 12, hope you enjoyed and I will get chapter 13 out as soon as possible...Thanks for all the reviews! You make it all worth it!


	14. Chapter 13

**A/N:** Today is my birthday, and I'm feeling generous, so I've decided to post two chapters in one day! Whoo hoo! Anyway here's lucky number 13!

When Dark Meets Light

Chapter 13

Arashi entered the shack with abandon. The sun had some damaging effects and she cursed loudly as she took off her coat to see if it had any scorch marks, there were holes burned through that would need patching. She removed Jackal and Rebel and set them next to her. Taking hold of the sleeves of her shirt she tore them off...they were ruined anyway. "I liked this shirt too..." She grumbled out loud.

Taking a deep breath she finally looked around the small hut that she had ventured into. It was obviously old and no one had been there for quite some time. There were small holes in the ceiling, but as long as she paid attention during the day it wouldn't be a problem.

She absently wondered about Sesshoumaru and his brother and what they would do next. She hated the fact that it was day...she needed to get to Yuri but she would have to wait. She attempted to locate her aura with her mind but came up empty. "Dammit!" She cursed and kicked an old piece of wood as if it would help. She laid her head into her arms. Arashi couldn't help but feel like she was letting Yuri down, and she hated herself for it. "I'm sorry Yuri...hang in there..." She said, somehow silently willing her friend to hold on.

Then there was Sesshoumaru's blood...it was still reacting with hers. Her veins felt like they were on fire, but it wasn't a bad feeling. Arashi was still getting a high from it, even though it should be long gone. She didn't understand why his blood was still there...usually after using that much power, any blood that she had consumed would be out of her system. It was as if Sesshoumaru's was making itself a cozy little home inside her and she didn't know what to think about it. "Strange..." she voiced quietly.

Looking over to her twin swords she saw that they were dull with dust. She picked them up and using her torn sleeves she polished them the best that she could. "Thanks for your help last night..." She spoke to them as if they could hear her. Finishing with her swords she became steadily bored, which wasn't good because that allowed her time to think about all that had happened since they had touched that God forsaken scroll.

"This is bullshit...I can't rest for fear of being burned to a crisp and I can't find Yuri." She feared the worst and prayed that Yuri would be alright.

**Sesshoumaru and InuYasha...**

They had found Arashi's scent and were pleased that she didn't put up a barrier. "What if she can't find them...what if..." InuYasha didn't want to finish the thought. He desperately wanted to find his friends, before it was too late. They soon found themselves by a small, broken down hut.

Sesshoumaru was reluctant to enter...something was amiss and he couldn't put his finger on the cause so he stopped. '_She's in there, but there's something else...'_ He finally realized what it was and he secretly smiled to himself. His scent was mingling with hers and the thought was oddly pleasing to him. '_My blood must be more potent than I thought...'_ He smirked arrogantly. Knowing full well what his blood would be capable of.

"Are you comin'?" InuYasha asked, wondering why Sesshoumaru had stopped. He saw his brother nod and appear before the door. "Arashi?" InuYasha called to let her know who it was. "Come in, guys..." They heard from inside and entered.

Arashi was sitting in a dark corner, her red eyes reflecting the small rays of light that fell through the ceiling. "You okay?" InuYasha asked, noticing that her shirt was torn and her coat lay next to her. "Yeah...just peachy..." She replied sarcastically. "What happened?" InuYasha was concerned. "My coat was burned slightly along with my sleeves , but other than that I'm fine...The sun is a bitch..." She spoke dryly. InuYasha smirked and sat down across from her. Sesshoumaru followed suit and silence covered the trio.

"I can't find them right now..." Arashi knew that they wanted to ask her, but didn't. "Yeah...we'll have to try tonight..." InuYasha had feared that she wouldn't be able to find them with her mind, and hoped that they were alright. Sesshoumaru stayed silent. He could feel his blood pumping within the woman, and was surprised that it was still mingling with hers.

"I'm gonna look for something to eat...do you want me to look for anything else?" InuYasha asked his brother and Arashi who both declined. "Be back soon..." He left the small sanctuary. Sesshoumaru looked after his brother and then turned to Arashi to find her crimson eyes on him. "I know you can sense the blood...I don't have any idea what's happening..." She admitted to him and he narrowed his eyes at the statement.

"Do you regret drinking my blood, then?" He asked trying to find the answers in her eyes. "No, of course not...I just didn't expect it to stay with me..." She said quietly. "I see..." Sesshoumaru was surprised at her tone...it was odd to him. "It seems to renew within me...I can't explain it." She blinked away from Sesshoumaru. "Blood is the strongest form of bond between demons...Drinking my blood gave us a connection, although I don't know why..." Sesshoumaru kept his eyes trained on Arashi. He had a clear idea of why there was a connection, but didn't inform her.

"Then what's going to happen...am I forever connected with you?" She asked almost shyly. "Perhaps..." Came his short reply. '_She wants to reject my blood, but her body won't let her...I had a feeling that this was going to happen...'_ Ever since the talk that they had earlier, he had felt something akin to attraction for her, but refused plainly to act upon it...until he gave her his blood. "Do you want to reject my blood?" He asked with a sick sort of amusement wanting her answer.

She looked him straight in the eye, catching Sesshoumaru off guard, but he quickly recovered. "Do you want me to reject it?" Her eyes searching, almost reaching deep into his soul, and he shuddered mentally. "I asked you first..." He was amused when her eyes narrowed. "No... She admitted seriously. "Then no..." He replied and silence overtook the two.

They stayed that way until InuYasha entered and felt the tension between the two. "What's goin' on?" He asked and sat down between the two. He got no reply. "Whatever..." He rolled his eyes and closed them, putting his arms together inside his sleeves and tried to sleep. He knew something was up, he wasn't dumb, he could smell Sesshoumaru's blood inside Arashi. It seemed to him that they had unwittingly taken a huge step in whatever their relationship was. "Will you two stop...the tension is giving me a headache..." InuYasha said grumpily.

He opened his eyes to find Sesshoumaru getting up to leave the hut. "Where you goin'?" He asked and silence was his reply. "Feh..." He huffed and looked to Arashi after Sesshoumaru had left. "Alright...what's goin' on...this is ridiculous, you know." He informed her with attitude. "Yeah, I know..." She agreed quietly. "So...what the hell happened when I was gone?" Arashi pierced him with a gaze, but he didn't relent. "I'm not used to demons...where I come from, we know that they're still alive, but they must stick to themselves, because no one has seen one for some time..." She said matter of factly.

"So what...?" He questioned. "I mean that I have never had demon blood before, and its having a reaction inside me...I can feel it...its renewing inside me, and I don't know why..." She admitted. "Listen...Sesshoumaru giving you his blood gives you a connection to him...Usually only mates share blood like that..." He thought that he could give her some kind of explanation. "Mates...?" She asked with child like curiosity.

InuYasha couldn't help himself, he snorted. "You know...people who are together..." Arashi shot up to her feet, barely missing a ray of light and kneeled close to InuYasha, getting into his face. "What?" She hissed, a mere two inches from his face and InuYasha put up his hands in surrender. "I'm just tellin' it how it is...you really didn't know what was gonna happen?" He asked her incredulously. "What do you think?" She backed away slightly. "So what does that mean?" she narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "It doesn't mean anything, really. If you two were mated then that would be a different story, but you aren't so..." He paused. "Listen if it really bothers you then don't accept his blood..." He added, then seeing the look on her face, he became curious. "You don't want to reject his blood, do you?" Even a Hanyou such as himself could read her facial expression.

Arashi lowered her head in contemplation. "I've never had a high from blood like this...I don't think I want to lose it either..." She admitted and returned to her corner.

**Sesshoumaru...**

After Sesshoumaru left the stifling hut he jumped into a near-by tree, much like InuYasha, and listened in on the conversation. He could hear every word and it got him thinking. Hearing InuYasha explain about mates made him unconsciously nervous, and he shook off the feeling. '_Just because she accepts my blood doesn't mean were mates...'_ He told himself firmly. '_I could never be mated to someone like her.'_ Remembering her blatant disregard for his status only further proved his point...or so he told himself. "Infuriating..." He whispered, berating himself for even entertaining the idea of being with Arashi. '_Why did she take my blood anyway? She should have known better...'_ He was failing miserably in trying to blame her for his current predicament, knowing that it was his fault...

To Be Continued...

**A/N:** So there's chapter 13 and I thank you for your reviews!


	15. Chapter 14

**A/N:** I'm not dead...I promise...So sorry for not putting this up sooner...I've had it written, but haven't had a chance to put it up yet...

When Dark Meets Light

Chapter 14

The three warriors had tried to get some rest, but found it was useless. Each of them having too much on their minds to sleep, even though they were all tired. Dusk was soon upon them and they got up with a somber sort of air surrounding them. "Let's see if I can find them now..." Arashi spoke to the brothers, snapping them out of their thoughts. She let her mind roam and searched for any sign of the others. She expanded her search in her mind paying close attention to any signs that would point them to where Naraku was. Suddenly she felt a blast of power that knocked her out of concentration.

Her eyes snapped open and she grabbed her head in pain. "Dammit..." She cursed through clenched teeth. InuYasha went to her side out of concern. "What's wrong?" He asked quietly, fearing the worst. She felt the pain go away and regained some control and looked upon the brothers. "I definitely felt Naraku...he must have forced Yuri to use her mind against me...I felt the aura of all the others...so they're still alive...for now..." She informed them and InuYasha let out a breath of relief, they still had a chance.

"Do you know the direction that they were heading?" InuYasha asked hopefully. "West...that's all I know..." She replied and shook herself. She should be hungry, thirsty for more blood, but she wasn't. Sesshoumaru's blood seemed to have a hay day within her. "Let me grab my coat and we can be on our way..." She said returning into the hut and pulled her coat on, disgusted by the holes in it and silently cursing the sun. Sheathing her swords on her back, she came out of the hut. "Sorry about your coat..." InuYasha felt he needed to apologize when he saw just how much damage had been done to it. "Don't worry...I'll fix it later." She smiled at InuYasha for his acknowledgment.

They began traveling west not really knowing how far, or where they would going, but determined just the same. Being that all three really didn't need rest for a while they covered ground swiftly and efficiently. Sesshoumaru knew these lands well, they were his after all. "Aren't we in your lands, Sesshoumaru?" InuYasha asked wondering how far they had traveled. "Yes...we should be upon my castle soon." He was wondering if they would need to stop at his castle, the sun would be rising soon. "Your castle?" Arashi questioned curiously. "We may need to stop there during the day..." Sesshoumaru told them both and they nodded.

Soon enough Sesshoumaru's castle emerged from the darkness, and they heard Arashi gasp. "What's wrong?" Sesshoumaru asked immediately alert. "That's YOUR castle?" Arashi exclaimed and nearly fainted. "What about it?" InuYasha was surprised by her reaction...he admitted that it was big, but nothing overly special. "That's the castle that Yuri and I were in before we got transported here..." This gave Sesshoumaru and InuYasha pause.

"You mean you stayed in Sesshoumaru's castle and didn't know it?" InuYasha was confused about what she said. "Yeah, that's it...of course that was five hundred some odd years in the future, but I'm sure that was it..." She explained vaguely. Sesshoumaru didn't know what to say, it was too big of a coincidence. "It was empty though...and quite a bit of it had fallen into ruin..." She said sadly, what she saw in front of her was one of the most magnificent structures she had ever seen, and to know that in the future it would be broken and deserted made her oddly sorrowful .

"No one lived there?" Sesshoumaru asked curious about what the future of his castle held and was surprised that he no longer lived there. Being a demon meant extraordinarily long life and he fully expected to live for at least another thousand years or so, it didn't make sense that his castle would be deserted like it was in the future. "Yes...it was empty and judging by the dust, I'd say that it was deserted long before Yuri and I ever got there." Arashi had a feeling about what Sesshoumaru was getting at, but didn't say anything.

The sun's rays were just peaking over the land when they had entered his castle. "It's incredible Sesshoumaru...truly." Arashi complimented and it made Sesshoumaru feel good, somehow, to hear her say it. "Thank you. Excuse me." He left InuYasha and Arashi alone in the foyer and entered a room to the right of them. They started looking around the place and Arashi recognized a few of the different tapestries and such that decorated the large entryway. "Why do you think this castle was abandoned?" She asked InuYasha out of the blue.

Turning away from a particularly gruesome painting he acknowledged Arashi with a shrug. "Maybe he died...or maybe he just decided to live somewhere else...who knows?..." InuYasha moved to stand in front of a statue that looked like Sesshoumaru, but was different somehow. '_It must be my father...' _He mused and continued looking at the marble carving. "I can see some of you in there..." Arashi had snuck up behind him and was admiring the same statue. InuYasha just looked away. "What's the matter, InuYasha?" Arashi was wondering about the change in attitude from the half demon.

"I never actually met him...he died protecting me and my mother when I was just a newborn pup." He told her quietly. "It was your mother who was human then?" InuYasha just nodded. "I'm sorry for your loss, InuYasha..." Somehow Arashi knew that would horribly inadequate at the time, but being the undead like she was...death didn't affect her the way it did the living. "Don't bother...I've gotten over it...In fact that's why Sesshoumaru and I don't get along. He has a hate for humans and most of it probably stemmed from my father dying for a human." He put his hand up and wiped the tears that threatened to come forth.

At that moment Sesshoumaru entered the hallway followed by a squat little demon, who vaguely resembled Jaken. "Jin will show you to your rooms...I have some business to attend to, so please excuse me." Sesshoumaru nodded to the small demon and left the room. "I've heard quite a bit about you, InuYasha..." Jin said motioning for the pair to follow him. They started climbing stairs that seemed to have no end. "What have you heard...?" InuYasha was shocked that the demon knew his name, let alone knew of him. "I was here during your father's time...and of course there's Sesshoumaru as well. I never thought I'd see the day when you came to the castle and Sesshoumaru wanted you to stay here." He finished with a glint in his eyes.

They finally reached the top of the stairs and found themselves in an equally long hallway. "These are your rooms..." Jin pointed to two rooms across from each other. "You may choose which one you want...I will let you have some privacy, someone will be up shortly to fill your baths and then I will send someone for breakfast if you would like." He finished and bowed. "I won't be hungry, but a bath sounds marvelous... Arashi informed him and went to stand in front of the left door signaling InuYasha to take the right. "I won't need anything until tonight, but thanks..." He said and with that, Jin left them to their devices.

Arashi entered her room. She was surprised to find anything and everything that she would need inside. "Damn...I could get used to this." she said and walked into her bathroom to find a tub there and she couldn't wait to have her bath. Only stopping by little streams that were freezing cold to wash was starting to get to her. She needed an actual bath, and her clothes needed a desperate wash. She saw an ornate mirror on the wall over a washing basin and stopped. As usual, she saw no reflection. She reached over and her finger brushed the smooth surface, but there was no finger on the other side.

"Ahhh!" Came a high pitched screech. Arashi turned quickly to find a young girl standing in the doorway. A pile of towels had fallen from her hands as she looked at Arashi, and her non-existent reflection. The girl was a demon, which kind Arashi was unsure. "I'm sorry if I scared you..." Arashi said raising and eyebrow at the girl and she snapped out of her trance. "Oh my...I'm sorry, I didn't mean to stare. I dropped my towels as well..." The servant girl knelt down and scooped the sheets off of the floor. "It's quite alright...it must be shocking for people to see no reflection." Arashi was already used to it, so it didn't bother her in the least.

"No...I'm sorry...can I fill your bath for you?" The girl apologized again and walked to the bathtub. Just then InuYasha barged into the bathroom hand on his sword ready for battle. What he saw was Arashi staring at him, with a glint of amusement in her eye. She looked ready to double over in laughter. And a girl that was filling the tub with warm water. "What happened?!" He asked wondering what possessed him to rush into Arashi's room after he heard the scream. Now that he had a moment to think about it...Arashi didn't seem like a screamer. '_So it must have been the girl...'_ He started feeling very foolish and turned to go. "Sorry to scare you, InuYasha...the girl was shocked to find that I have no reflection in a mirror..." Arashi was so close to bursting out in laughter, but she kept it at bay.

"You have no reflection? I didn't know that..." InuYasha was thoughtful for a moment and blushed deeply. "I should go..." He said and nodded goodbye to the women. "Thanks though, that was really sweet of you..." Arashi said to his back and he walked out of the room. Turning to the girl who was now finished with the tub, "What is your name, by the way...?" "Kira." She replied having gotten over the shock. "Kira...I'm Arashi, sorry again about the scare." "No problem...I'll just go get some more towels for you." With a nod from Arashi, Kira left and Arashi undressed getting into the water that was just the right temperature.

Sighing she splashed some water onto her face and immediately felt refreshed. After some time there was a quiet knock on the door. "Come in..." Arashi spoke to the door that was behind her. She heard the door open, "I heard that someone scared one of my servants..." Arashi recognized that voice and slowly ducked under the water until only her head was peeking out, and turning to see if her ears had deceived her. There in the doorway, stood Sesshoumaru carrying her towels...

To Be Continued...

**A/N:** Sorry again about the wait...That was chapter 14 and 15 will be up soon...I Love you all and please R&R!


	16. Chapter 15

When Dark Meets Light

Chapter 15

**Sesshoumaru's Castle...**

"What are you doing in here?" Arashi spoke calmly, but her body was anything but. "I am simply bringing towels to my guest." Sesshoumaru said, clearly enjoying the reaction that Arashi was trying to hide from him. "My ass..." She snorted, rolled her eyes and turned her back to him. Sesshoumaru's eyes immediately flash red at seeing her blatant disregard for him, but he calmed himself. He instead set the towels down gently and sat in a chair that was across from where Arashi now faced. "Kira said that you scared her nearly to death...I can't have you doing that..." He informed her with a calm sort of eloquence.

"It wasn't my fault." Arashi just shrugged her shoulders, wondering how far she could push Sesshoumaru. She hadn't forgotten about his little scene, wiping the blood off of her chin. "She couldn't see a reflection in the mirror when I stood in front of it..." She said honestly moving across the tub so she was closer to Sesshoumaru, still hiding her assets from him with the wall of the tub. "I see..." Was all he could say. He had realized early on that if she really didn't want him there, she would have no problem forcibly removing him with her mind. With that thought he almost choked. Narrowing his eyes in mock annoyance he knew what was happening.

"Just don't let it happen again..." He scolded playfully and smirked. "Don't worry...it won't." She winked at him and he nearly lost it. '_How can she do this to me and be this calm...? Damn her...'_ "How's the blood?" He asked finally bringing up something that he knew that she was uncomfortable with. It was her turn to narrow her eyes. "What do you want from me, Sesshoumaru?" There was an uncomfortable pause. Neither one looking away. Sesshoumaru spoke first. "You say that you don't want to reject my blood, and yet you still fight against it. Why is that, do you think?" He knew that this conversation had turned for the worse, but they might as well get it over with.

Arashi just stared at him. She knew that he had a point, but didn't want to admit it. "I'm just thinking of the consequences...you know there is such a thing as having too much of a good thing." She replied meeting his gaze. "Then the sooner you accept my blood, the sooner this will all be over with." He said quietly. "What do you mean by 'all of this'...?" She asked him truly wondering what was going on in his head. Sesshoumaru paused..._ 'What do I mean exactly?'_ He asked himself trying to find the answer.

"Listen, I understand that this whole situation is strange, but I have to continue on. As soon as the sun starts going down I am going to get Yuri back." Arashi spoke harshly. She began rubbing her temples in an attempt to quell the stress. "Are all demons this frustrating?" She asked truthfully meeting his amber eyes head on. Sesshoumaru just stayed quiet. "You know what, don't worry about it. As soon as I have Yuri back, we'll look for a way back home..." She said dejectedly and put a hand out, a towel flying into it. She wrapped herself and stepped out of the tub.

Sesshoumaru watched as Arashi climbed out of the tub and was meaning to leave. "Where do you think your going?" He asked and got up from his seat. "What does it matter...I shouldn't be here anyway, so don't waste your breath..." Arashi hissed in return and went into the bedroom, followed ever so closely by Sesshoumaru. "I'm sorry that I brought this stress upon you, but it will be over soon, I can promise you that." Arashi spoke angrily, looking for her clothes. "Where are my clothes?" She asked turning to Sesshoumaru, who was putting her clothes into a laundry shoot in an attempt to stall her.

"Great..." Arashi rolled her eyes and plopped down on the futon looking at the curtains. It was still day, so she couldn't open them. Sesshoumaru stood in the doorway to the bathroom. '_This isn't what I wanted...'_ He mused thinking about the dead air that was now between them. He watched as Arashi just stared at the curtains, obviously trying her best to ignore him. He walked over to the dresser and pulled out a yukata that was made pure white silk with cherry blossoms spread over the sleeves. "Here...you may use this for now..." He held out the robe to Arashi, wanting her to come to him to get it, but she wouldn't have it. Sticking her hand out the silk slid easily out of his hands and flew over to her, and she pulled it on tying the obi around her waist.

He narrowed his eyes. "You are truly a piece of work you know..." He said uncharacteristically in annoyance. "I could say the same about you...but I won't, I don't want this to go any further than it already has." She turned her eyes on him. There was a cold sharpness in her eyes and Sesshoumaru felt his earlier prejudice towards her come back in full swing. "Come with me..." He ordered in his eerily calm voice leaving the room. She blinked at him and got up to follow. She silently followed as he wound his way deeper into the castle.

She began feeling his blood again and it almost hurt her now. It seemed that Sesshoumaru had control over it, even when it was outside of his body, because it screamed in protest at the feud that was happening between the two. '_Dammit...leave me alone!'_ She mentally screamed at the blood to stop and it did. She stopped and closed her eyes in silent defeat...Sesshoumaru paused and looked strangely at her. He could smell her conflict and wondered what was happening.

"I'm sorry...that I came here. Nothing like this has ever happened to me, and I don't know how to continue on..." Arashi confessed quietly. "There hasn't been a night since Yuri turned that we have been apart. I have always protected her, and now..." Arashi paused and swallowed the lump in her throat. "She's hurting...and I'm not there to help her." She lowered her head and wanted to punch herself for admitting such weakness in front of Sesshoumaru.

Sesshoumaru turned around fully and slowly approached her. There was only one thought in his mind, and that was to comfort her, but he didn't know how. He was never really comforted as a child, and certainly hadn't done it for anyone else in his long life. By a will that wasn't his own, he wrapped his arms around her and held her in a firm hug. "It's alright...we'll get them back...all of them..."

**Naraku...**

"You bastard! They'll come for us...you won't be able to stop them!" Kagome screamed as Naraku dealt another blow to Yuri's back. She was tied to a post and was forced to watch the cruel punishment. Naraku just kept his attention trained on Yuri, ignoring Kagome's continued screams for him to stop. "I told you specifically, that if you let them out of the illusion, you would beg for death...why did you disobey me?" Naraku spoke softly to Yuri. "And then...you almost gave our position away." Another strike with the whip. By now Yuri was nearly unconscious. But her body was healing itself almost immediately after Naraku hit her. "My...my master...will...come for me..." Yuri spoke with all the strength that she had left. Naraku leaned in to get into Yuri's face. "Let her come..." He spoke with harsh amusement, making Yuri flinch away from him.

To Be Continued...

**A/N:** There was chapter 15 and chapter 16 will be up soon! Thanks for the reviews and keep them coming!!


	17. Chapter 16

**A/N:** First of all, thanks for your patience on this story, I haven't forgotten it or any of you. I will be honest and say that I have not really been in the writing spirit and so coming up with ideas on how to end this has been tough...This isn't the last chapter, but I know that it will be coming soon...If you have any suggestions for the story, please let me know...Anyway, thanks again and enjoy chapter 16, and as always please R&R!

When Dark Meets Light

Chapter 16

Sesshoumaru held Arashi for a long time in the hallway, while she silently sobbed into his shoulder. He couldn't help himself as he thought about how surprisingly natural this felt. She quieted down and he chanced a glance at her, she was asleep. He smiled slightly and picked her up, taking her further into the castle. He reached his room and slipped her into his futon. _'Not the way I had imagined her in my room, but…'_ He grabbed a blanket, covered her and paused. Looking at her while she slept, her forehead crinkled in frustration, he could tell that her rest was not peaceful.

There was a quiet knock on the door and Arashi stirred, but didn't wake up. Sesshoumaru opened the door silently and there stood Kenyo, his second in command. "I'm sorry to disturb you, my Lord, but I have urgent news." Kenyo bowed slightly. "Report…" Sesshoumaru ordered quietly. "Scouts have discovered a castle, within a days walk from here…The barrier surrounding it is unlike anything they have seen, and are awaiting your approval to attack." Kenyo informed him, and seeing the expression on his lord's face, made him want to disappear into the ground. "Tell them to retreat; I will be handling this matter personally. You are dismissed." Kenyo retreated into the castle to carry out Sesshoumaru's wish.

Sesshoumaru turned to the sleeping Arashi and smiled. _'She will be happy to hear this news…'_ Walking to the bed he sat down beside her. Arashi's eyes snapped open, and before he knew it, Sesshoumaru was pinned underneath her in a vice like grip. He simply lay there as she recognized him and quickly got off of him. "Sorry…" She apologized. Picking himself off the floor he nodded in acknowledgment. "Where am I? This isn't my room…" Arashi asked looking around. "Yes….you're in my room, you fell asleep, and this room happened to be closer." He told her with a twinge of amusement.

Another quiet knock was heard and Sesshoumaru opened the door and there stood Kira with a stack of clothes. "My Lord, I'm sorry for coming here, but I cannot seem to locate Arashi anywhere." Kira said and bowed respectfully. "Thank you, Kira…" Sesshoumaru took hold of the clothes and closed to door. "Your clothes have been cleaned, and I had my tailor fix the holes in your coat." He said handing them to Arashi. "Thank you…"

Sesshoumaru pointed to the bathroom. "You may change in there, and then it will be time to slowly prepare to go. My men have found what I believe to be Naraku's castle, and we shall head out as soon as the sun has set." Arashi nodded and went into the bathroom to change. Slipping off the smooth silk robe, she marveled at the repairs to her coat, it didn't look as if it was damaged in the first place. _'I need to find his tailor and thank him…' _She thought and continued to dress, she then heard a muffled banging coming from Sesshoumaru's door.

"Where is she?! Open up Sesshoumaru, I know you're in there…Where's Arashi?!" InuYasha yelled barging into the room. "Have you no manners, Little Brother?" Sesshoumaru asked calmly. "Where's Arashi?" InuYasha demanded again. "Yes I heard you the first hundred times, InuYasha…" Sesshoumaru paused, and looked to the bathroom, because Arashi was just emerging.

"Good as new, Sesshoumaru. I have to hand it to your tailor…" Arashi looked up to find both brothers looking at her with quite different expressions. InuYasha just looked relieved to find her alive and well, especially in the company of Sesshoumaru. Sesshoumaru however couldn't believe how good she looked, now that she had washed and was wearing clean clothes. "Um…what's going on?" She asked and they both snapped out of there respective thoughts. There were apologies from them both.

"I never knew how good it would feel to put on clean clothes, I've always taken it for granted, I suppose." She said with a shrug. With no reply from either of the brothers, she decided to get straight down to business. "Where exactly is this castle that your men have found?" She asked sitting on the bed. "What!? Do you mean your men found Naraku's castle?" InuYasha asked excitedly. Sesshoumaru turned from Arashi and nodded to InuYasha in an affirmative. "I believe that they have. It is supposedly about a day's walk from here." He said in contemplation.

"So as soon as the sun goes down enough I'll pop us there…just tell me the direction." Arashi was excited about finally being able to get Yuri back, unfortunately she couldn't leave until the sun went down. "When will we be able to leave? I can't look outside, so I have no idea when the sun will set." Arashi asked hoping that someone knew approximately what time it was.

"We have about two hours…I think that it will be fine for you to go outside then." Sesshoumaru said matter of factly. "Damn, I wish you could go outside…why can't you? We need to get going." InuYasha huffed, obviously frustrated by the lack of moving. He was getting antsy staying at his family's castle, and wanted to leave as soon as possible.

"You better believe that if I could go outside, I would, but I would rather not turn into a pile of ashes, if it makes no never mind to you." Arashi was frustrated as well, but she was right, if she died because of the sun, then what good would she be to Yuri? There was also the fact that she still wanted to finish what was started with Sesshoumaru, but it would wait until Naraku was taken care of, and when everybody was returned to their respective places.

"So what is the plan, something tells me that this Naraku character wouldn't be found this easily…" Arashi observed and both brothers silently agreed with her statement. "You're right…my group has been looking for Naraku for a long time and we've never found him, unless he wants to be found." InuYasha stated, thinking about all the times in the past that they had come close to defeating Naraku, only to find out that it was a puppet or that he some other trick up his sleeve.

Sesshoumaru was uneasy about the situation as well, he knew Naraku to be cunning and underhanded. "We must be on guard at all times. Only he knows what is going on now, he is going to be expecting us. We must assume that this is a trap…" Sesshoumaru added his two cents, but had a feeling that the other two were thinking the same thing. "That means that we know that this is a trap, and we can be prepared. I would assume that he will have numbers of demons and that might be a problem with just three of us. Although with the attack power of both of your swords together, even great numbers won't stand a chance. That means that I could infiltrate and grab everyone, get them to safety and then help you two. What do you think?" Arashi asked them their opinion.

Even with the power she had at her disposal she couldn't keep up with the pure destructive power that the brothers had within the swords that they owned. Their trek through the illusion proved that conclusively. "No, no, no…I'm not lettin' you go in there by yourself, what if Naraku is in there, you can't protect everyone." InuYasha disagreed. "We will need some sort of distraction…Sesshoumaru is right, this is going to be a trap, but I can get in there, and get out of there just a fast, you can't do that…besides the sword you have, is much more destructive than any of my weapons. I would not be efficient if we all went in…" She finished logically.

" Fine, but I'm not happy about it…." InuYasha stated with a pout. "If you two are done bickering, I agree with Arashi, InuYasha and I will be a distraction for you, but can you get everyone out at the same time?" Sesshoumaru turned his attention to Arashi. He wanted to know that she would be successful, but more than that he wanted to know that she would be okay…he wasn't remotely done with her yet.

"I'll be able to get the job done, don't worry, you guys just need to give me some time…" Arashi said nodding her head in an affirmative. "Alright, it is decided then…let us get something to eat first and by then it will be time to go." Sesshoumaru opened the door and started down the hallway.

To Be Continued…


	18. Chapter 17

**A/N:** Here's Chapter 17! Hopefully from now on I'll get these chapters up more frequent...I'm finally in the mood to write again...

When Dark Meets Light

Chapter 17

"Are you finished eating InuYasha?" Sesshoumaru asked calmly, but he was getting increasingly frustrated with the amount of food his half-brother could eat. "Yeah, yeah, what's the rush? We still have to wait a little more for the sun to go down." InuYasha replied brashly. "I've never had normal food, but it must be good if you eat so much of it…" Arashi said smiling. InuYasha threw her a small grin. "Yeah, you should try it sometime…" He replied and got up from the table that they were sitting at.

"Sesshoumaru?" Arashi asked looking to gain Sesshoumaru's attention. "Where is this castle that your men found? I just wanted to know so I could take us there when the sun goes down." She finished and Sesshoumaru nodded, "I can feel what I believe is Naraku's presence to the West of here." Sesshoumaru replied quietly. He would never admit it, but he felt something akin to worry for what Arashi was proposing to do. _'She won't be able to just waltz into his castle taking away all his hostages…'_

_"You're staring into space, what's the matter, Sesshoumaru?"_ He heard her voice in his head, by now he was used to it. He was also used to being caught off guard by her; something that he never would have thought possible. _"Nothing, I just wonder why Naraku has let us find him so easily…"_ He thought back to Arashi. She nodded and admitted to herself that she had been thinking the same thing. Of all the things that she heard about Naraku, it was that he was always a step ahead of everyone.

_"So what do you propose we do? I'd like to hear any suggestions that you have…"_ Arashi asked him. Sesshoumaru paused for a moment, he couldn't think of anything better than the option that Arashi had said. _"We just need to get this done as fast as possible. In and out, but as much as I would like to believe that it could go that way, I also know that Naraku will have something up his sleeve." _Arashi nodded again, Sesshoumaru's attitude was beginning to get to her. He had never shown her anything but calm indifference, and yet he seemed nervous.

_"Don't worry; we can handle anything that Naraku has planned for us…"_ Arashi wanted to assure Sesshoumaru. _"I won't, as long as we'll be able to finish what we started before Naraku entered the picture."_ Sesshoumaru sent her a look that suggested that he was thinking about more than just the fight that they had started. She kept her face stoic but Sesshoumaru could hear that her heart had sped up and he smiled inwardly.

_'Hm…Where does he get off talking about that when we have people out there that need us…He's just a dog…'_ Arashi could tell that Sesshoumaru had noticed her heart and she tried all that could think of to slow it down. But even while she thought that she couldn't help but smile inwardly about the implications.

"So…guys are we ready?" InuYasha came into the room. Arashi and Sesshoumaru hadn't even noticed him leave. "Where were you?" Sesshoumaru asked defensively hoping that InuYasha hadn't gotten into something that he wasn't supposed to. "Keh…why does it matter?" He asked crossing his arms. "You are not welcome here, and this is my home…now I ask again…Where were you?"

InuYasha wasn't making any move to accommodate his half-brother's question. Arashi looked between the brothers and rolled her eyes. "Can't you at least wait to kill each other after everything is taken care of?" She was getting sick and tired of the demons thinking about nothing but themselves.

**Naraku…**

"When the sun goes down tonight, I will get InuYasha, Sesshoumaru and that creature Arashi…" Naraku was more than prepared for the fight that lay ahead of him. "What are you thinking Naraku?" A woman's voice sounded behind him, it belonged to Kagura. "Ah…Kagura, you are not privileged enough for that information. But I can tell you that I need you to watch the hostages, and if anyone comes for them, I need you to bring them to me by any means necessary. Do you understand?" Naraku turned to face his creation. "I'm not a child…yes I understand…" Kagura spat, and bowed out of the room.

"Arashi has the potential of being much more powerful than even me…maybe a spare jewel shard could take care of her…" Naraku spoke aloud to himself. He made his way to the door and onto a balcony to watch the sun move lower into the sky. "If I could harness that power then I could be invincible…" He smirked and went back into his castle to make preparations for the fight that he knew would happen that night.

**Arashi, Sesshoumaru and InuYasha…**

"I wasn't doin' anything in your castle…just breathe a little bit." InuYasha decided that what Arashi had said made sense, and he would be the bigger "dog" in this situation. When their friends were safe and sound, then they could have the fight that they were both itching for. _'Now that I think about it…Sesshoumaru also has something that was never finished with Arashi…he's certainly popular now a day's.'_ He smirked and knew that Sesshoumaru had more than Rin or even their long standing differences on his mind.

"Is it time to go yet?" Arashi asked after the brothers settled down. She could tell that InuYasha was calm, but something about InuYasha being in his castle ate at Sesshoumaru. _'Don't worry about InuYasha…he probably had to use the restroom or something…'_ Arashi could feel the tension from Sesshoumaru lessen. He met her eyes and there was something behind them that made Arashi shiver. She blinked and looked away. Sesshoumaru had looked at her with what could only be described as a wildness, and his blood reacted within her. Her blood ran hotter and spread throughout her body. She took a calming breath and settled herself down.

She realized at that point in time that his blood would be with her as long as Sesshoumaru wanted. She could not get rid of it herself and she had realized with a frightening thought that she didn't want to be rid of it, and she had a horrible craving for more. She couldn't bring herself to ask for more, and she knew that it would get harder and harder to deal with it.

"Alright, I think that it's safe to go now…" InuYasha answered her previous question and started to leave the room. Arashi got up as well and Sesshoumaru waited at the door for her. The group walked through the foyer, and Arashi took one last look of it. This could be the last time she saw it, and wanted to remember all she could for when she returned to the future. That thought brought her to stop, and question what would happen after this was done.

"Arashi?" Sesshoumaru asked and walked up to her. "What's wrong?" He put his hands on her shoulders. "Nothing…let's get going…" She replied and gently shrugged out of his grasp. He followed closely and they finally reached the gate. She put her hands around the brothers in a hug and they soon disappeared.

**Naraku…**

"There here…ready the defenses…" He smiled and couldn't wait for the fight.

To Be Continued…

**A/N: **Thanks to Mysterious Stranger, Shorty Bay-B, Arvael and White Alchemist Taya for your reviews and your support! As always please R&R!


	19. Chapter 18

**A/N:** Hey it's me Symbotica...I'm soooo sorry for not getting this up sooner...please don't hate me...:) Anyway here's chapter 18, and hopefully Chapter 19 is on it's way...

When Dark Meets Light

Chapter 18

**Arashi, Sesshoumaru and InuYasha…**

From the trio's vantage point they could see a large castle that was surrounded by a dark barrier. "This is it…this is where Naraku is…" InuYasha whispered to the others. Getting more and more antsy about the fight ahead. "What's the plan guys?" He asked turning towards them. "I knew that this was going to be a castle…but it's larger than I thought…I need to try and find Yuri…" Arashi said, closed her eyes and concentrated on finding Yuri's signature… Nothing… She tried harder and knew that she was getting past the barrier, because she felt Kagome and the others.

A quick wave of panic swept through her as she came up empty again. _"Yuri?!"_ She called through the link. Yuri would be able to hear it…unless… "Oh my God…" Arashi was in shock, and she couldn't concentrate, even when Sesshoumaru and InuYasha shook her in concern. She felt numb, and an emptiness that she had never felt before came over her and she moved forward on all fours…completely ignoring the brothers around her.

Her breathing became ragged as she tried to wrap her mind around the fact that she may be to late. She closed her eyes again in desperation. She tried once again to establish a link, but to no avail. Both InuYasha and Sesshoumaru were at a loss. They didn't know what was happening. "Arashi?" InuYasha asked quietly, but got no response. Looking at his brother, he could see that Sesshoumaru had no idea what was going either. "Arashi?" InuYasha asked again this time shaking her a little bit.

Suddenly Arashi looked up at them and her eyes were wide and a shiver ran through both the brothers. "I have to try something else…" She said quietly to herself. This time she got a link to Kagome. _"Kagome? This is Arashi…"_ She could tell that Kagome was spooked, but she needed answers. _"Just listen to me…I need to know where Yuri is…Just think back to me…"_

She waited for Kagome to answer and after a few 'ums' and 'uhs' she got the hang of it. _"I don't know where Yuri is…they separated us from her…she's probably deeper in the castle…but…well…I don't know how to say this, but she's hurt…she's hurt really bad, Arashi. Naraku found out something, and he went off on her…she was alive the last time that I saw her…but other then that I don't know what happened to her."_

The reply she got relieved her slightly, but her relief was quickly washed away with a horrible rage that she could barely contain. _"We're right outside the castle and going in to get you back…"_ She thought it best to inform Kagome, before the extreme anger that she felt reared its full potential. She knew that she could be scary when she got angry, she'd heard it from Yuri more than once.

"I got a link connected with Kagome…they are all fine, but Yuri is not with them…" She had to pause…and collect herself. "Then we should hurry…the sooner we get this done, the sooner we can destroy Naraku for good." InuYasha declared, glancing at Arashi. She was angry, and he could figure that something must have happened to Yuri.

"We'll get her back…don't worry." He added hoping that would settle Arashi down. "Don't worry about me, but I think the plan is going to have to change…Yuri is my number one priority right now, and I hope you understand that. I have to find her first…" She told them with a barely contained fire burning in her eyes.

"I can tell you that your friends are in a room on the north side of the castle, unfortunately I cannot tell where Yuri is, so I have to go looking for her…" She told them all she knew.

"I understand…we will be waiting for your return…" Sesshoumaru finally spoke up. InuYasha and Arashi each nodded their heads and Arashi bid them both good luck. "I'll find you…" She said and stood up. After one final nod from each she took off away from them.

**InuYasha and Sesshoumaru…**

"So…how are we gonna do this?" InuYasha asked. "We need to break the barrier. Then you can go find the others, while I keep Naraku busy…" Sesshoumaru suggested, not really wanting to leave Rin in InuYasha's care, but knowing that he would be better suited to making a distraction, because he could fight longer.

"Fine…here we go…" InuYasha unsheathed Tetsusaiga and it glowed red as he swung. The barrier in front of them disintegrated, and they immediately knew that Naraku was prepared for them to come, because they were attacked by hundreds of demons as soon as the barrier disappeared.

"This is gonna be fun…" InuYasha said sarcastically swinging his Tetsusaiga and killing several. Sesshoumaru did not reply but agreed with him. This was going to be tiresome, and the demons seemed to keep coming.

**Arashi…**

She knew that something was wrong when she was met with no resistance. She had worked her way into the castle and was continually searching for Yuri with her mind. Yuri was not responding to her at all. The more that Arashi searched the more her blood began to boil. Her eyes were glowing red, and she could feel her dark power scratching to get out. She had no way to release any of her frustration, and it just built up within her.

Not to mention, the remnants of Sesshoumaru's blood coursing through her veins, made her extra volatile. She was like a bomb ready to explode and God help anyone who got in her way.

Then she saw her…a woman wearing a Kimono with her hair done up. She had feathers stuck in the back, and she casually held a fan with her right hand. Arashi's eyes narrowed as they took the woman…no demon in.

Her aura was the same as someone else's. It took her a moment, but then she had the answer…she was a part of Naraku. She had no where near the amount of power as him, but it was undeniable. From what she could tell the woman was taking her in as well. Arashi kept her aura in check, but only just. This woman would be able to tell her where Yuri was, so it was no use killing her until she had that information.

"You must be the creature that Naraku warned me about…" She finally spoke, she had a smooth, deep voice, and Arashi knew then that she had the information that she was looking for.

"Did he…? And you are?" Arashi stood her full height, making her a good half a foot taller then the woman. She spoke calmly, but the disgust was very evident in her voice.

"I am Kagura, master of the Winds…" She bowed slightly, but kept her eyes on Arashi. "And who might you be?" she asked.

Arashi felt that Kagura was being overly cautious, but decided to play along; Besides, this Kagura woman wasn't a threat. "I am Arashi…I am looking for someone…you wouldn't happen to know where I could find her, would you?"

Kagura knew that she was being lured into a false sense of security, but she didn't answer.

"It will be better if you cooperate…If you do, then your death will be quick and painless…if not, then…well, I suppose you can figure out the rest…" Arashi spoke, with as much patience as she could muster.

"The girl is here, but you will have to get past…" Kagura never got to finish, because in the blink of an eye, Arashi was behind her with a knife to her throat. Kagura was speechless, Naraku, hadn't said how powerful this creature was, and she was totally unprepared.

Arashi leaned in to Kagura and smelled the fear on her. She smirked and her eyes flashed red again. "One more thing…where is Naraku…surely he knew that I would slay you and come after him…"

"I have…I have no idea where Naraku is…he doesn't tell me anything…" Those were Kagura's final words, Arashi had slashed her throat, and let her drop to the floor.

Arashi looked behind her, and found a door, quite hidden in the darkness, but not a problem, for her. She kicked the door open and her senses were assaulted with both Yuri's and Naraku's auras…

She didn't find Yuri in the room, and she looked out of the door to where Kagura lay dead. "Poor thing…she was just a decoy…"

**Sesshoumaru and InuYasha…**

"I'm gettin' pretty sick of all these damn demons!" InuYasha yelled at no one in particular. "I can't get anywhere near the castle!" He was frustrated and he used the Wind Scar again.

Sesshoumaru was far to the side of him, but he heard InuYasha's complaint and had to agree again. He wondered why he was agreeing with his half brother so much in recent times. He was going soft…and he didn't know how it happened, or when. Suddenly a movement out of the corner of his eye brought him out of his reverie, and he slashed the demon in two with Tokijin.

**Arashi…**

She heard a dark cackling coming from somewhere in the room. She turned around, but saw no one. "You happen to be correct…" Came a disembodied voice. She had heard that voice before.

"Well, well Naraku…you _are_ a coward. Come out and fight me." She spoke loud and to no one.

"Later, perhaps…now I am quite busy…InuYasha and his brother are putting up a good fight." Naraku chuckled again. "But not for long…"

Arashi narrowed her eyes in thought. "Where is Yuri?" She questioned…trying to keep her mind off of the brothers outside…She needed to find Yuri first.


	20. Chapter 19

**A/N:** Thank you to White Alchemist Taya for your review and stickin' with me...here's chapter 19...Happy Easter, or whatever you celebrate!

When Dark Meets Light

Chapter 19

**Sesshoumaru and InuYasha…**

The horde of demons weren't letting up and it was getting very old. InuYasha was beginning to feel the effects and it was troubling. The Tetsusaiga was heavy, and it was taking more and more effort to swing it. His breathing had become ragged and labored, but his will was still there, making it impossible for him to quit.

He glanced at his half brother and found that he was still fighting strong. Now really wasn't the time, but he couldn't help but secretly envy him. Sesshoumaru was everything that he was not, mainly a full demon with seemingly unlimited power, but he noticed that it had come with a price.

Sesshoumaru had closed himself off to the world. He was a being with extreme power, but with no one to share it with. Suddenly, InuYasha understood more than he ever had, that in that way, he was more powerful. That was something that Sesshoumaru lacked, and he felt his chest swell with pride when he thought about his friends. In his moment of introspection he knew deep down that they were all he would ever need. He couldn't help but smile as he lifted his sword with a renewed strength, and took out another set of demons.

The skies grew overcast, covering the moon and rain began pouring making the ground muddy and very slippery. "Dammit…" InuYasha cursed. "Of course it has to rain…" he muttered. He was having a hard enough time, with good footing. A bolt of lightening shot across the sky illuminating everything.

Bringing his eyes to the heavens it looked like there was no end to the storm. Sesshoumaru was regretting this whole situation. Not that he would admit it to anyone, of course. He was sopping wet, and making no head-way with the demons. The good news was that the rain was slowing the demons down as well.

Tokijin had been brought to its limit, and he cursed InuYasha once again for being bequeathed the Tetsusaiga. He put Tokijin at his side and used his poison claws to continue hacking away at the demons.

**Arashi…**

"Why don't you fight me, Naraku?" Arashi asked spinning in the small room. Suddenly the door closed, sending the room into complete darkness. Arashi blinked, and it didn't take long for her eyes to adjust. Her eyes were made for darkness.

"I have a proposition for you…" Naraku's voice rang out. "What do you mean…why would I do anything for you?" Arashi yelled, looking for another way out of the room. "I have something that you want, right? Well you can get me what I want…" The disembodied voice reminded her.

"What do you want, Naraku?" She spat his name with all the disgust she felt for him. "I want your help…I admit you are strong…probably even more than me, but I hold all the cards, my dear. If you want to see the girl again, I suggest you do what I say." He finished with his voice sounding amused.

"I asked not for an explanation…I asked what you wanted…" Her patience was gone…She was prepared to kill Naraku, and she would do it as soon as she found a way out of the room. "I want you to get the Shikon Jewel shards for me, the girl, Kagome has them. If you get it for me, the girl will be returned to you…" There was a dark chuckling from him.

"Whatever…" She said rolling her eyes… "This way…" Suddenly another door opened and Arashi found herself in a large room. She took a look around, and found that there was no way out of this room. "Naraku…you're trying my patience…where is Kagome?" Without a response another door opened.

She approached the doorway, and she found Kagome and all the others. There was an immediate sigh of relief from everyone in the room. "Arashi!" They exclaimed, but she was staring intently at them. So they kept their distance… "You have something I need to get Yuri back…" She said coldly, turning her eyes solely to Kagome.

Kagome's eyes widened when she figured it out, "I can't give them to you…" was all she said and she put her hand over the little jar of jewel shards while her other hand was holding Shippo. She backed up behind Miroku and Sango hoping that they would keep them from harm for the time being.

Arashi's eyes narrowed to dangerous slits and everyone gasped. "I will ask nicely once more…give them to me, or I will be forced to take them myself…" Rin backed up as well…Arashi saw the movement and focused her eyes on Rin. Something within her was holding her back. She stared at the girl, and realized that she couldn't bring herself to do her any harm. She gave Rin a warm smile as she looked at her.

She shook off the feeling and returned her gaze to the others. Both Sango and Miroku had taken a defensive stance. "If it is a matter of getting the shards back, I will do so, but only after I have Yuri in my possession…do you understand?" The two didn't change their position, they just stared at her.

"You have forced my hand…" She said and within a blink of an eye, Miroku and Sango lay unconscious on the ground. She had no reason to kill them, they just stood in her way… Kagome was up against the wall with nowhere to go…

"Will you get them back?" She asked with a shaky voice. "Yes…if you hand them over to me…" Arashi answered with no emotion. With a shaky hand Kagome took the necklace off and handed it over to Arashi, who nodded. "I fear that InuYasha and Sesshoumaru have been detained to long, and so I will help them once I am done…I will lead you out of this castle, follow me."

Arashi turned and picked up the unconscious bodies, hauled them over her shoulders and started to walk out of the room, followed, none to closely by Rin Kagome and Shippo. They past the body of Kagura and Kagome gasped and covered Rin's eyes. "Did you do that?" She asked Arashi. "Yes…but she was either going to be killed by me, or Naraku. I gave her a swift death…"

They kept walking and were soon out of the castle into the night storm. She laid Sango and Miroku down under a tree and told Kagome where she could find InuYasha. After another promise to get the jewel shards back, Arashi took off, and was nowhere to be seen.

"Shippo, stay here with Rin, Miroku and Sango…I'll be back as soon as I can…" Kagome took one last look and began running to find InuYasha.

When she finally found them, she could tell that things were bad. InuYasha looked like he was barely conscious, but he was holding on. She wished that she had a bow and arrow, but alas she didn't. "InuYasha!" She exclaimed and ran to him. He looked around, and couldn't believe his eyes. "Kagome! Are you alright?" He asked as they shared a brief hug.

Sesshoumaru turned his attention from the lowly demon who had just tasted his poison claws and saw InuYasha and his human. His eyes narrowed as he walked to them. "Where is Rin?" He asked coldly. "She's back with Shippo…" Before she could say any more Sesshoumaru had taken off in the direction she had just come from.

"Where's Arashi?" InuYasha asked after they watched Sesshoumaru go. "She's back inside…listen…Naraku must have told her that she would only get Yuri back if she gave him the jewel shards." InuYasha's eyes immediately went to her neck where the jewel shards were supposed to be…

"You let her have them?" He yelled at her. "Yes…she promised that she would get them back…I didn't have any choice. She looked like she was going to kill us if I didn't…" Kagome explained as best she could about Miroku and Sango. InuYasha used the Wind scar dispersing the demons for the time being and they left to go to their friends.

**Sesshoumaru…**

He saw the small group and quickened his pace. He reached them and Rin immediately shouted his name and ran to him. "My lord! Are you okay?" She asked with bright eyes, despite the horrid situation that she was in. Sesshoumaru just nodded and looked upon InuYasha's friends finding only the young fox awake. "Lady Arashi had to do it…I think she's in trouble…" Rin explained with a worried look. He took the information in. _'Why should I care…Rin is back, and that was the only thing I wanted…'_ He thought to himself.

"Where is she Rin?" He asked and Rin pointed to the castle… "She went in there to get that girl back." He looked at the castle and knew what he had to do. He turned around to find InuYasha and his human arriving. "InuYasha…there is something that I must do…I hope that I can entrust Rin into your care…" He said and had his eyes set.

InuYasha nodded and turned to his group. "Fine, but you better come back…" Was all he needed to say and Sesshoumaru took off towards the castle. "That's just great…We're hidden here, but not for long…" He said and sat down trying to get his strength back. "I need you at your best Kagome…" He told her, and she nodded.

**Arashi…**

She was searching the castle, since Naraku hadn't mentioned where he was. Her eyes had turned bright red and glowed in the dark hallway. Every so often a bolt of lightning would light the way, but she hated wandering aimlessly.

She found herself suddenly in front a large set of doors. She could feel the miasma around this room and it only made her anger surge. If Yuri was in there for long…well she just didn't want to think about it. She took a deep breath and kicked the double doors open.

A hole in the ceiling sent a shaft of light down illuminating Naraku, but there was no Yuri. "Where is she?" She couldn't sense her anywhere, but then again, Naraku could be masking her with his aura and the miasma.

Naraku smiled and held out his hand expectantly. "You need only to give me the shards and she will be yours…" She had to admit that the miasma would get to her soon as well if she didn't hurry.

"Here…" She threw the jar at him. She was in front of him before he had even caught them, with one of her swords at his throat. She felt him gulp and smiled cruelly as she asked him again. Her unoccupied hand went to her back to catch the small jar. "Where is Yuri?" she pronounced every syllable pushing the sword deeper into his neck, drawing a small amount of blood, which she forced herself to ignore.

"She's safe for the time being, but if something were to happen to me…" He didn't need to finish. "Give me the shards and I will take you to her…" He held his hand out again. She forcibly stuffed the necklace into his hands. "Here…now take me to her, or so help me…"

"Follow me…" He sneered and turned away from her leading her out of the empty room and into a small side chamber. She saw Yuri and immediately went to her seemingly lifeless body. "What did you do to her?" Her question went unanswered as she had walked quite willingly into an obvious trap. From the other side of the door she heard Naraku's footsteps getting quieter.

"Damn you!" She yelled and went to the door and kicked at it, but it didn't budge. She screamed at the top of her lungs, as she swung at the door with her swords, but they seemed useless. "I'll kill you for this!!!! Do you hear me Naraku?!" She sent another kick at the door and then went to Yuri.

She wasn't waking up, and she could see dried blood covering her clothes.

**Sesshoumaru…**

He was following Arashi's scent, winding his way around corridor after corridor of the castle. _'Where is she? Damn her…'_ It seemed that her scent went around in circles until he saw, finally a door that had been forced open. He entered, but the room was empty. Her scent lingered here, as well as Naraku's. He looked around the room thoroughly and found a small door leading out of the room.

There was a barrier around the door and he knew then that Arashi must be inside. He touched the barrier, only to have it zap his hand. "Arashi?" He called quietly. He listened intently, there was shuffling and cursing coming from beyond the door. "Arashi!?" He said louder this time.

_"Sesshoumaru? Is that you?"_ He heard her in his head. _"Yes…can you get out of there?"_ He answered and could have sworn that he heard a sigh of relief. _"I can't get out, but I have Yuri…how does it look from your side?"_ She asked.

_"Not good…there is a barrier here. I can't touch it."_ He replied and pulled out Tokijin. He slashed at the barrier, it flickered, but didn't disappear. _"I can't force it either…"_ He explained. _"Alright…maybe if we try from both sides…I'll use my swords and you use yours…We just have to get out of here…the miasma is strong in here and I can feel my power draining as we speak…Alright, on three…One…two…three!"_ They swung at the doors simultaneously and the barrier shattered, but so did the door.

The little room was reduced to rubble and Sesshoumaru began searching when Arashi emerged with Yuri hanging limp in her arms. "I have to get out of here…" Arashi spoke, but her voice was broken. Sesshoumaru nodded and followed her out of the room. "I'll take us out of the castle." Arashi held both Yuri and Sesshoumaru and they were soon outside within the storm.

The others were nowhere to be seen so Arashi set Yuri down under a tree away from the storm. Her hands went immediately to Yuri's temples and she searched with her mind for any trace of life in her…she came up empty. "Yuri…" she closed her eyes and slumped onto the ground holding Yuri's small hand in hers. Sesshoumaru had to take his eyes off of the scene.


	21. Chapter 20

**A/N:** Don't know what happened... wasn't letting me put this up...but here it is finally, it's short, but another chapter's comin' soon! Thanks to Shorty Bay-B, Arvael, and White Alchemist Taya, for the reviews!

When Dark Meets Light

Chapter 20

**InuYasha…**

They were still safe by the tree, no demons had followed them, which to InuYasha meant that they had gone…but that didn't mean that Naraku was finished with them. A moaning took him out of his reverie, and he looked to find both Sango and Miroku waking up.

"It's about time…" He spat mostly to himself. "InuYasha…" Kagome scolded him. She went to them. "Are you guys alright?" Sango sat straight up and looked at her surroundings. "Where are we?" She asked. "We got you out of the castle and to the trees…" Kagome informed them. "Where's Arashi?" Miroku asked rubbing the back of his head where he had been hit.

"She went back into the castle after carrying you here…"She looked down and Miroku noticed that the jewel shards were gone. "We have to go after her…" Miroku started to get up, but his head throbbed with pain.

"She took them to get Yuri back she promised to get them back for me…" Kagome said as she held Miroku to help him sit back down. "But what if she doesn't give them back, and uses them herself?" He asked.

InuYasha 'keh'd' at this and he looked at them. "Listen…Arashi is strong enough without the jewels…Sesshoumaru doesn't need the shards, and neither does she…She wouldn't take them." He displayed a confidence in her that made Kagome wonder what had happened when they were away.

"If you think that she wouldn't take them, then I believe you InuYasha…" Kagome said with a small smile. InuYasha just looked away, back towards the castle. He was wondering what was taking them so long.

**Sesshoumaru and Arashi…**

Arashi didn't cry…she didn't do anything except stare at Yuri. When she finally looked up at Sesshoumaru he was facing away from her. She closed her eyes and sighed. "Sesshoumaru?" She asked quietly, and Sesshoumaru wasn't even sure that she had said anything. If he were human, he wouldn't have heard her at all.

He didn't reply, but she knew he was listening. "Will you help me?" She knew that he carried no ordinary sword. The light that came from it would be able to help. He stared at her. He could tell that she was utterly serious. "If I do, she will no longer be what she was before…she will be human." He informed her.

She nodded, and looked back to Yuri. "I always knew that she secretly wanted to grow up…if it hadn't been for my father, she would have. I won't make her what she was…but I can live with that…as long as she is alive…" She finished and blinked up to Sesshoumaru.

He thought about it but already knew his answer… "I will…but only after we defeat Naraku…" He said after a moment. She nodded solemnly, but agreed that they had to kill him first. "Thank you…" She whispered. "I can't just leave her here…" She continued and picked Yuri up. "Please wait for me…I am bringing Yuri to Kagome and the others…I will be back." She disappeared and Sesshoumaru looked to the castle.

"We are coming for you, Naraku…" He muttered to himself. He couldn't believe that he had agreed to bring Yuri back, but the way Arashi looked at him, he couldn't resist her. _'This woman will be the death of me…'_ He silently told himself.

**Arashi…**

She appeared behind the group and shocked them all to the point that InuYasha was on his feet and prepared to take her down. They noticed Yuri in her arms, and from the look on Arashi's face they knew that she was gone. Kagome immediately tried to comfort Arashi. "Stop…I don't need your sympathy, I need a favor…please watch over her for me…I'm going back in." She nodded back to the castle.

Kagome nodded slowly as Arashi laid her ward down gently. "Thank you…I will return shortly." With that Arashi disappeared and left them to their thoughts.

"What do you think is going on?" Kagome turned from Yuri to the group. "It's obvious…Naraku killed Yuri, and now she's pissed." InuYasha said plainly. "I think you should go with them…." Miroku said quietly, meaning InuYasha.

"Yes, InuYasha…Miroku, Kagome and I can take care of ourselves…They might need your help…besides, I know that you want a piece of Naraku yourself." Sango told him. "What about you, Sango…You want a piece of him too…" He countered. "Naraku has our jewel shards…he is too powerful for me…I think that I would be better suited to protecting our group." She admitted.

She hated the fact, but she had to think clearly about the situation. Naraku would run her over, and she decided that protecting Miroku and Kagome would be best. She nodded to InuYasha, and Miroku followed with a pat on his shoulder. Kagome looked at the group and supported them. "I agree…Rin and Shippo need protection, and we can take care of them." She smiled sadly.

InuYasha made his decision. "Fine…but take care…don't get yourselves killed, hear me?" The group nodded and he dashed off to join Arashi.

**Sesshoumaru…**

He was waiting for Arashi under the tree. The rain had doubled in volume and whatever hadn't got wet before, certainly was now. He looked around and wondered about the best way to go about killing Naraku.

"Don't worry about it…we'll get this over with soon enough…" Arashi said from his side. He looked to her and her eyes were set in a hard line. He had to admire her for the strength she showed even in the face of disaster. "I have a favor to ask…" She muttered, slightly embarrassed at what she wanted.

He shifted his gaze to her and realized what she wanted…he then brought his hand to swipe the hair away from his neck. She smirked slightly as she brought her mouth to his pulse. She felt his heart rate speed up and her smirk widened. Fangs growing she embedded them into his neck. Her eyes grew red as her body reacted with the familiar blood. This time she would not rebel against it…instead she would relish every drop for once she returned to her time, she would get no more.

She pulled away, and couldn't help notice Sesshoumaru follow her a little bit. A shiver ran through her entire body that she couldn't hide from him. He smirked and then he noticed someone behind them. Immediately alert he saw InuYasha standing there. "Are you two done, so we can get this over with?" He smirked.


	22. Chapter 21

**A/N:** Hey you guys...I have been ridiculously busy lately and have had absolutely no time to write...I know we've all heard that before, but it's true...Anyway...I'm going to be finishing this soon, and then revamping, because I have soooo many errors in this thing...

When Dark Meets Light

Chapter 21

"Yes…let's go…" Arashi said with another shiver. Like last time the blood began to invade her every cell, but this time she let it. Her power surged unbelievably, and she loved the feeling. _'Damn…I'm like an addict…'_ She thought to herself with a smile. The three started for the castle, but were stopped by a small horde of demons, that had lived. InuYasha finished them off quickly with his Tetsusaiga.

"Naraku is probably waiting for us…so be on guard…" InuYasha said when they had entered the castle, with no resistance. He received a nod from Arashi. A shiver ran through InuYasha, the blood had changed her like last time.

He couldn't help but smirk at the situation; it seemed to him that Sesshoumaru had finally found someone who could keep up with him. He would have laughed out loud, if there hadn't been a loud vibrating rumble coming from what appeared to be the center of the enormous castle.

It nearly knocked the trio off of their feet, but they braced themselves as the rumble stopped. Glancing at each other, no words were needed to know that they were thinking the same thing…they didn't have long.

Another rumble shook the castle, but this time it lasted longer. The hallway began to crumble under the force, and soon they were running so they wouldn't be crushed. The closer they got to the middle of the castle, the more damage was being done to the castle.

Winding through hallway after hallway they came to a large room that glowed with a bright white light. They each covered their eyes, as they weren't used to the light. Loud, inhuman sounds were coming from the light and they saw a faint shadow within it. It was wriggling and looked like an octopus multiplied by a hundred.

Arashi flinched unconsciously, and couldn't help but feel bile rise in her throat. This creature was transforming before their eyes and the jewel shards had given him power beyond comprehension. _'This power is overwhelming even me…I can't believe how powerful those shards are…'_

InuYasha and Sesshoumaru were covering their ears, the noises that the creature was making hurt their sensitive hearing. It seemed that Naraku hadn't noticed that they were with him. If there was ever a time to strike him down it would be now.

Without having to even look at each other, they know that they needed to destroy him now or never. Sesshoumaru grabbed Tokijin, InuYasha his Tetsusaiga, and Arashi had Jackal and Rebel at the ready. It was useless to shout over the loud cries coming from the creature, so Arashi counted down in their minds.

_"On the count of three…One…Two…"_ She paused and they each got into an offensive stance. _"Three…"_ The trio let loose one big battle cry and from their swords shot a light and a power like none of the world had ever seen before, yellow from Tetsusaiga, blue from Tokijin and white from the twin swords.

The blast of energy was seen by the small group of people waiting outside of the castle. It gave them all pause they stared at it and even felt the power from their position. It had started taking the castle apart piece by piece. "Gods…" Miroku uttered in shock, but the rest were speechless.

Inside the castle the energy made its' way to Naraku's hideous new form and before anyone could prepare for it…everything went silent. It seemed that all of the energy clashing had done something spectacular…it imploded in on Naraku's position and there was nothing left. A glinting had caught Arashi's eyes and she looked up into the air to find a jewel floating there. She approached and grabbed it from the air. It looked like what Kagome had given her, but it was complete and had a dark aura surrounding it.

"What happened? Where is he?" InuYasha uttered from the sheer shock of what had transpired. Sesshoumaru blinked a few times and then sheathed Tokijin. "It's done." He stated simply. InuYasha looked at him and the enormity of the situation finally struck him. He dropped Tetsusaiga and a small chuckle came from his lips.

Arashi turned to the brothers with a sly grin. The chuckle from InuYasha had grown into a full blown laugh. He fell on the ground holding his stomach. Sesshoumaru was quiet, but in his eyes she could see relief. The jewel pulsed in Arashi's hand and she looked up over what was left of the castle to find Kagome, and the others coming their way. Miroku cradled Yuri in his arms, and her smile left her face.

"InuYasha! Is he…is he gone?" Kagome asked and she stopped to look at the rubble. InuYasha got up and grabbed Kagome in a hug and spun around. Arashi walked up to the group and held out the still tainted jewel. Sango could see that the jewel was complete. She took this as a sign that her brother was finally resting with the rest of her family. She knelt in prayer.

InuYasha put Kagome down and she looked at the jewel. She hadn't seen it complete since it first came from her body. It began to turn from black to the faint pink that was the pure jewel.

Rin ran to Sesshoumaru and hugged his legs as tight as she could. "I knew you could do it, Lord Sesshoumaru!" She exclaimed in joy. Sesshoumaru placed a clawed hand on her head, and couldn't help a ripple of emotion from overcoming him. He almost smiled.  
Miroku walked to Arashi and gently handed Yuri over to her. She nodded in appreciation. Miroku, after a small prayer for Yuri went to Sango to help console her.

Arashi just stood there, Yuri limp in her arms. Suddenly she felt bad for asking Sesshoumaru for help. She couldn't explain it, but she just needed to get away from this place. The battle hadn't used much of the night, and so she left the others to wander and think.

Sesshoumaru turned around to find Yuri had left. _'Where…?'_ He thought to himself. He tried catching her scent, but he could not find it due to the heavy rain shower. Her aura was no longer traceable, and he, the great Sesshoumaru felt as though a part of him was gone. In the past few days they had been literally side-by-side, and now that she was gone, he realized that he liked her presence; it felt somehow wrong to him that she wasn't there.

InuYasha finally tore his eyes away from Kagome to give Arashi a hug of appreciation, only to find her gone. His eyes immediately went to Sesshoumaru. InuYasha saw something in his brother's eyes. He felt a shiver run through him, because that was the first time that he had seen anything other than anger in his brother's eyes.

"Let's go, Rin" The deep baritone of his brother's voice catching him off guard. InuYasha knew that it was hopeless to argue with him. Sesshoumaru turned his eyes to InuYasha, golden meeting golden; he nodded once and turned with Rin to leave. InuYasha wondered briefly if this would change things with Sesshoumaru, then he almost snorted… _'Yeah right…'_


	23. Chapter 22

**A/N:** You guys are the best...I swear...I'm so very sorry that this is so short and extremely late, but lately everything seems to be either breaking down or getting lost and it's very stressful (and not conducive to a writing environment)...I'll do my best to get something else up within a couple days. Thanks again...and I know it's probably too much to ask, but please R&R...Thanks!

When Dark Meets Light

Chapter 22

**Sesshoumaru…**

"Lord Sesshoumaru?" A tentative Rin looked up to the great dog demon. He looked behind him to acknowledge her. "Where's that lady, the pretty lady that got me out of the castle…?" She asked shyly. He looked away from her. "I don't know…" He said plainly.

"But…Lord Sesshoumaru…I never got to thank her for saving me…" She protested quietly. He just ignored her and kept walking. Rin looked at him, and followed close behind with Jaken staying further away from his master. She had noticed that Lord Sesshoumaru wasn't himself somehow, she decided to let it be for now.

The demon lord hated to admit it, but he was feeling the same. She had just disappeared, and he felt oddly disconnected from the world, as if she was what had kept him grounded this past week. He couldn't shake the feeling that something was unusual and that this wasn't how things were meant to be.

**Arashi…**

_'I'm such a coward…'_ She told herself for the hundredth time since she had left the group. She sat at the base of a great tree with Yuri still in her arms. At the time she just needed some time to understand that her young ward…no best friend, was dead. It seemed surreal to her. She had thought about the past two hundred years…what a long time to spend with someone…and just like that they were taken away…

What would the group think of her? What would Sesshoumaru think of her? _'Why should I care? They aren't my friends…they just happened to be the people we met when we got here…'_ She tried to rationalize it. _'And Sesshoumaru…he isn't the kind to care about anything…let alone someone he met just a few days ago…'_ Funny…but she couldn't bring herself to believe it.

She closed her eyes and shook her head. _'Right good predicament you've gotten yourself into, eh Arashi?'_ She frowned deeply. She was about to get up, for it would be daylight soon, and she needed to find shelter…when something caught her attention from the corner of her eye. Turning quickly she narrowed her eyes to try and catch it again. Whatever it was wasn't moving, and they masked their aura.

She reached out with her mind, but found nothing in any direction. Maybe her mind was just playing tricks on her…? Just when she began to think that she was going crazy she saw it again, but on the other side of her. Setting Yuri down just in case this would be a fight, she focused all of her energy into finding what ever was out there.

A bright light suddenly overcame her…she didn't even have time to react before she fell unconscious…her final thought being of what would happen to Yuri…

**Sesshoumaru…**

He paused to scent the air…he had caught her scent, but then it was gone as soon as it appeared…He couldn't believe that he had imagined it and so turned to where he thought the scent was coming from. _'It's nearly daybreak…why is she still out?'_ He questioned as Rin followed behind him confused.

The more he kept down this path the stronger her scent became…but soon there was a twinge in the air. He knew what this was, but couldn't put his finger on it. He quickened his pace considerably telling Jaken and Rin to stay behind. He smelt death in the air and without his knowledge his heart skipped a beat. He got to a clearing where he saw Yuri laying on the ground with no sign of Arashi._ 'She wouldn't leave Yuri here…'_

Nothing made sense…the closer he got to Yuri the more he could smell anxiety in the air mixed with Arashi's scent. "What happened?" He asked himself quietly. There were no other scents in the air, which made him even more confused. He kneeled down to Yuri and looked around the area surrounding her. He saw no sign of struggle. The entire scene had him bewildered.

He narrowed his eyes and a pulse at his side caught his attention. It was Tensaiga. He knew what the sword wanted…and didn't even have to question it. Taking it out of its sheath, he saw still the messengers of death and felt another pulse from Tensaiga. With a clean swipe he cut through the small demons and watched them disappear.

A stirring took his eyes from his sword down to the now very much alive Yuri. She blinked slowly and with a vigor that would be unexpected she sat up quickly, looking about her until she saw Sesshoumaru. Coughing, to get her throat working again, she muttered a cautious, "Lord Sesshoumaru?"

Before he could respond he heard Jaken in the bushes, obviously chasing after Rin, who was coming this way. He looked in the direction they would be coming from and suddenly they burst through. "I'm sorry mi Lord…she just took off…I couldn't stop her…" Jaken explained kneeling before his Lord out of breath.

Rin practically bypassed Sesshoumaru to where Yuri was sitting. "Hi…I'm Rin…" She said giving a small bow to Yuri, who smiled at her. "Yuri…" she replied with a nod of her head. "Rin…" the calm dangerous voice of Sesshoumaru bit through the air. She slowly turned her head towards him. "What did I tell you?" He asked her. "To stay with Jaken…?" She said quietly.

Yuri looked around in a sudden panic…not only could she not feel her power surging through her, but it was morning, and she was in plain sight of the moon. She couldn't see Arashi anywhere, and a feeling of unexplainable loss overcame her. "Where's Arashi?" she finally spoke, her voice suddenly regaining strength.

**Arashi…**

"You think that the display of power you and the others showed yesterday was special…didn't you?" A dark voice echoed through the room. He was speaking to an unconscious Arashi and running his finger along her jaw…but that didn't stop him from gloating. "You really thought that you had destroyed me…pathetic…" Naraku walked out of the room and locked the heavy door behind, laughing cruelly.


	24. Chapter 23

**A/N:** Wow…I don't know what to say about my absence….3 years and so much happened…I hope you all can forgive my may I call it extreme lack of updates? Here's 23….

When Dark Meets Light

Chapter 23

**Sesshoumaru…**

He wasn't sure how to explain what had happened. Yuri kept looking at him with the saddest expression when he had informed her that he had no idea where her master was. _'I've tried locating her scent…but to no avail…'_ the thought that she had disappeared was not something that he wanted to deal with. _'What if…?'_ No…he wasn't going to even think about what would happen if she had somehow returned to her time. They had been traveling aimlessly for a few hours now. None of his companions were making a fuss, so he just kept going. Lost in his thoughts, he didn't really notice where they were headed.

**InuYasha gang…**

"Where would she have gone, InuYasha?" Kagome asked for the millionth time. "Hn…if I knew, don't you think that we would be there?" He was exasperated with that thought. Kagome thought about using "the word," but thought twice, he was uptight as it was and that would only make it worse.

They had stopped not too far away from the destruction of the castle, not wanting to stay within the lasting effects of Naraku's poisons. It was hard to believe that he was gone. None of them had really brought themselves to think about what they would do if Naraku had been defeated, and now it was upon them. Would they split up? Would they continue together? Would Kagome stay in this time or go back through the well? Would she visit? All unanswered questions that none of them were in any shape to think about for the time being.

"Hold on…" InuYasha said, breaking the increasingly uneasy silence. His brother was close by. "What is it InuYasha?" Kagome asked. " Sesshoumaru…" They all turned in the direction InuYasha was and true to form Sesshoumaru appeared. "Where is she?" InuYasha asked seeing that his brother's gaze was down turned. A pit opened up inside InuYasha's stomach. _'Is she….?'_

Sesshoumaru looked up and what InuYasha saw made him cringe. There was emptiness there, not just the cool indifference. He had the look of a lost puppy. It made a tingle follow InuYasha's spine like no glare ever could. "What happened…?" He ventured to ask. The mask was then firmly set into place and it made InuYasha frown. "As much as I loathe to admit any weakness, she is gone without a trace." The cool reply reminded InuYasha who he was dealing with.

"What do you mean? She couldn't have just vanished into thin air…." As soon as he said it he knew he was an idiot, of course she can vanish without leaving a trace, he'd seen it firsthand. From behind Sesshoumaru emerged Rin with a down trodden look and she was closely followed by Yuri. The whole group gasped. "You revived her?" Kagome was the first to say anything. The silence that followed was thick.

**Arashi…**

Her brain began to function ever so slowly and she could almost tangibly feel her senses returning one by one. First came scent, what an awful smell surrounded her. It was like she was in a pit with a thousand rotting corpses. She unconsciously wrinkled her nose. Next came sound, what hit her ears sounded like a million bugs crawling all over, scuttling over each other. Next came touch, she felt and then heard the sound of shackles that were no doubt holding her up by her arms. Her arms ached with the realization and the passing thought of how long she had been chained like this crossed her mind.

With that thought her memory returned. She remember the bright light, but little else. The wave that hit her when she thought about Yuri, ached her to the core. Where was her companion? Was she still under that tree? Her head was spinning. It was obvious to her that she had gone without blood for some time. Then she felt the blood within her boil, it was of course Sesshoumaru's blood, giving her power back slowly as it renewed itself within her.

The last sense that returned was sight. Her eyes slowly cracked open. What she saw when her eyes adjusted through the blur made her want to go back to the blissful, ignorant state she had been in earlier. The smell _was_ rotting corpses, hundreds of them. The sight made bile rise in her throat. There were insects crawling all over them, thankful for the bounty of rotting meat and decay that had been delivered. There were men, women and children all thrown into a pit, faces of anguish were all around.

"What the hell?" Was the first words from her dry mouth, and her voice cracked. She looked away from the gruesome scene and her eyes went to the chains that suspended her. _'Where am I?'_ she experimented on the shackles seeing if they would budge. But they held her fast. _'Ugh…'_ it was hard to focus with the scene that was in front of her. "How do I get out of this one?" she asked herself.

"Awake so soon?" A chuckling voice rumbled behind her. She was shocked. She didn't need to turn around to know who the voice belonged to. _'How…? What…?'_ Finishing a thought was finding itself difficult for her. "Why do you still exist?" She finally said shaking her head. It came out strong and with a hint of annoyance. "Hmm, you didn't think that I could be destroyed so easily, did you?" He said as he walked around to face her. She narrowed her eyes and fumed inwardly.

"You're a disgusting abomination, Naraku." She hissed and spit at his feet. "My, my…still so full of spunk. It's a shame that you will soon become one with me. I will take you into my body and feed off of your power. I will undoubtedly become invincible." He sneered maliciously. "Just try it, you piece of filth. You couldn't handle my power even if you tried, you have no idea what you're doing..." She cringed, and her energy spiked around her. She focused her power to Naraku. She began forcing him back against his will.

"You wretched psycho…you think you can control me? You think you have what it takes? Even being chained, you are no match…" She growled. She knew she couldn't keep up her energy for long, she was using a last ditch effort. She closed her eyes, before she wasted too much of her power, she had to try and reach Sesshoumaru. She kept Naraku back, and called out through her mind link with Sesshoumaru.

"_I… need…help…Sessho…"_ she called into the link. He was the only one who could reach her in time, even not knowing where she was. _"Naraku…"_ she couldn't afford anymore focus into the link. Naraku was fighting hard against her hold.

**Sesshoumaru…**

'_I…need…help…Sessho….'_ He heard her weak voice in his head. His eyes opened wide. _'She's still alive!'_ She then said something that he never would have imagined. _"Naraku…."_ He growled audibly "Naraku." This got InuYasha's attention. "What about Naraku?" He looked at his brother in shock. "What the hell is goin on Sesshoumaru?" He yelled. _"Where are you? Tell me where you are."_ He thought back to her, ignoring InuYasha's outburst, but received no response.

"Arashi is in trouble, isn't she?" InuYasha asked when he got no answer from Sesshoumaru. He was immediately on his feet. "Where is she?" Sesshoumaru scowled. "I don't know…" How were they supposed to find her, when Naraku was behind this? He rubbed his temples in frustration. After a moment, it hit him.

"I can find her, InuYasha, but you need to stay here with the others. Naraku has returned, and I wouldn't put it past him to use Rin, or your group again. You must protect them." He looked at his brother and InuYasha nodded, but he hated not knowing what the hell was goin on. "How did Naraku survive?" He asked quietly. Sesshoumaru turned to leave, but paused. "I don't know."

He left into the night, leaving the others to wonder what was going on, and if Arashi was going to be alright. While none would admit it out loud, if anyone of them had a chance at finding her, it was Sesshoumaru.

**Arashi…**

"How much longer will you be able to hold me off?" Naraku was standing his ground, but she had him pinned far away from her. Her power would gone soon, he was sure of it. "As long as I have to asshole." Was her short reply. She renewed her focus on keeping him at bay, this time forcing him to the ground. She felt Sesshoumaru's blood boiling within her, but ignored it the best she could. _"Sesshoumaru…please…hurry…"_ Was her last thought to him.

**A/N:** It's been so long, that I hope this wasn't uber disappointing…hope you enjoyed and I plan on finishing this story soon. If it's not too much to ask, please R&R…tell me if I kept the same feel in this story. Thanks!


	25. Chapter 24

**A/N**: Alright, here we go with chapter 24, with no reviews and I feel like I'm going in blind. But alas, I didn't know what to expect…well, thanks for reading anyway. I hope to punch out this story this month.

When Dark Meets Light

Chapter 24

**Sesshoumaru…**

"_Sesshoumaru…please…hurry…"_ He heard her strained voice in his head. _"I'm coming."_ Was his reply to her. He closed his eyes and focused all around him. His blood…it had to be the way to find her. It would surely act like a beacon for him, if he could feel even a trace of it, he would know.

**Arashi…**

She kept a firm hold on the creature before her. She was surprised that she still had strength left for such a feat. _'I must hold on.'_ She kept repeating in her head. Sesshoumaru's blood was doing a number of things to her, but mainly it kept her conscious. It was renewing with vigor, but it was a painful process. It was still vying for control over her blood. _'What if…?'_ she shook her head with a frown. That would be giving Sesshoumaru's blood dominance inside of her; any self-respecting vampire wouldn't, shouldn't and couldn't do that. Then another thought crossed her mind. _'I'm going to die here, and I'm worrying about a little blood dominance?'_ That was stupid, utterly stupid.

Maybe if she didn't let it take complete control it wouldn't be so bad and it would give her a much needed energy boost. She began calming her own blood within. Hoping this would work. She shuddered and felt the boiling go to new heights, she clenched her eyes shut. It was overwhelming her. She tried to keep her breathing steady.

Suddenly her body jerked against the restraints. The power surge she felt was great and she had to release it somehow. Involuntarily, her body transformed. Her wings spread behind her and she was writhing against her bonds. The chains glowed with light. There was a barrier on them and try as she might, she couldn't break them. She narrowed her eyes to slits and looked towards Naraku. "You think you are clever, eh Naraku?" He felt her eyes on him, and as soon as he met her eyes he was now not just being held down, but crushed underneath the pressure of her mind. His eyes widened, clearly not expecting this from the woman before him.

**Sesshoumaru…**

He felt it. The power surge was to his right. He took off in that direction and pushed himself to go as fast as he could. _'What's going on?'_ He wondered while trees and rocks seemed to be a blur around him. It was his blood, alright, but what was happening? Another wave of power, that nearly knocked him back, was felt and his blood ran cold.

What he saw was a battlefield. Well, not so much a battlefield as a massacre site. Right in the middle of it, he could see Arashi, her black wings spread behind her and her coat flowing around her, her hair caught in an invisible breeze. She was chained off of the ground. But where was Naraku? His nose told him that his foe was close by. Then he noticed it. Naraku's form was on the ground, motionless. He turned his gaze back to Arashi, there was something wrong. She was expelling so much energy that he was sure she would collapse at any moment. "Arashi?" He whispered to himself. But it seemed Arashi had heard him, she had turned her attention to him.

She cracked a smirk. _'He came for me…'_ The statement lingered in her mind. It gave her a feeling like she'd never had before, a sense of something she couldn't quite put her finger on. It was akin to longing, a strange thought past through her and it shook the very core of her psyche. _'I needed him…to come.'_ Her smirk turned to a smile and the wild, dangerous look in her eyes disappeared. Her wings returned to their normal place within her. And she collapsed against the chains, letting them hold her up.

The stress of the situation suddenly overpowered her. She had finally noticed that she was in fact nearly exhausted from the exertion of her power. Somehow, Sesshoumaru's blood had overtaken her and was now reacting very differently than it had earlier. It quieted down, almost to the point where she couldn't even sense it within her anymore. She couldn't hold Naraku anymore as her power weaned away from her. It was like a sieve had opened, and her power was draining out of it.

Her breathing was ragged, and she was barely conscious. Sesshoumaru was no longer rooted to the spot and quickly went to her side. "You came…." She said quietly and fell into unconsciousness. From behind him a dark chuckling emerged. Sesshoumaru whipped around and found Naraku trying to stand. "You." Sesshoumaru growled out. He was before him in seconds, Naraku didn't have a chance. "I'll kill you now, with my claws, ripping you limb from limb…" It was the truth, before Naraku could even reply, he felt his arms giving way and felt Sesshoumaru's poison working through his system.

He tried to regenerate, but found it difficult as Sesshoumaru poured as much poison into the wounds as he could. He could feel each claw as they tore into his chest, working themselves into a frenzy into his chest. Sesshoumaru wasn't holding back, and Naraku didn't have a backup plan this time. He could feel his strength ebbing as Sesshoumaru ripped more and more of his body away. His chest was completely open now and Sesshoumaru wasted no time in grasping the heart that beat there. He ripped it from Naraku injecting more poison into the scarcely beating organ. The heart practically melted in his palm, but he was in no way finished. Naraku's last word came out with blood flowing from his mouth. "H..how…?" And his body gave way to death. His eyes empty and staring ahead, while Sesshoumaru continued his assault on the remainder of his body.

It went on for quite awhile. Naraku's form no longer remotely recognizable anymore. Sesshoumaru was covered in blood, poison and sweat. Never before had he lost all control like that. He shuddered, and opened his eyes like it was the first time. Again he shuddered. All of his senses were sharp and the smell, especially brought an ache to his head.

He looked out at the field before him and saw the first of the suns rays shining, slowly covering the land before him. That shook him out of his reverie as he turned his head and saw Arashi still unconscious. _'I have to get her out of here!'_ He picked himself off of the ground and made his way to her. With the death of Naraku, the barrier around the chains vanished and he easily tore through them. He held Arashi bridal style noticing that she was completely limp and made a quick exit to the nearest shelter he could find.

**A/N:** Hope you all enjoyed, and it's not the end yet. Anyway, please R&R and hopefully I can get another chapter out soon!


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